Being a dad is my favorite thing in the world! I have been trying to state clearly how much I love being the father to my children, and I truly cannot find the words to express how much I love having my kids in my life.

With that said, parenting is so hard.

Loving them a whole lot is one thing. Leading them and training them is another. And it is not easy.

I am still very happy to be a parent. I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I don’t have very many answers. I make so many mistakes as a dad. And I know my kids, as well as our family, have their/our issues.

However, I still love them so much. And I desire to be the best parent I can be.

Here are 4 thoughts on parenting:

We’re Together in This

Valeria and I are united in parenting. We are not the same person. We each come from different families, homes and upbringings. But we are committed to being focused together in parenting. We both love our kids. We both have the same desires for our kids. And we both have each other’s back in regards to leading our kids. We support each other in parenting. And we never want our kids to see us not united. We are a team. We are together in this parenting! If the parents are not united in the way they lead their kids, then there is no way to know which direction the kids are going.

Its a Top Priority

Life is quite demanding, and it is very easy to find ourselves giving too much time, energy and life to things that are not a top priority. Valeria and I are committed to making parenting a top priority to us. It is not just a part of our life. It is our life. It is not a part of what we do. It is what we do. We do not want anything to get in the way of us spending lots of quality time as a family. There is not a decision we make where we do not consider how this affects our family. “What will happen to my relationship with my kids?” is a question that I ask myself often as I plan my days and weeks.
Also, when something is a top priority then that should mean that you also examine it. Valeria and I are often looking back to evaluate how focused and committed we are to our family, our children and our home. If the parents don’t value parenting as a top priority, then the kids will not value their parents instruction.

Discipline is just a part of the Relationship

We discipline our kids. Consistent discipline works well. But disciplining our children is never the main part of our relationship. Our relationships in our home are very involved. We spend lots of time together. We eat dinner together. All 7 of us sit at the dinner table together to have dinner. We talk a lot. We laugh a lot. We pray a lot. We play a lot. We are together a lot. So when it comes time to discipline a child, it is not coming out of nowhere. It is not coming as the only interaction of late. It is not coming as the only communication of late. Discipline is just a part of the relationship.  For every serious corrective talk, there have been countless conversations about so many other things. Deep talks, funny talks, teaching talks, serious talks, silly talks all happen daily. Regularly and often. So when the time comes to discipline, it makes sense. For every case of physical discipline, there have been countless interactions on so many other levels. High-fives, hugs, play-wrestling, throwing ball, taking a walk, reading a book together, and so on and so on. All of these things happen daily. Regularly and often. Discipline is not the main thing in our family. It is just a part of the relationship. If the parents don’t have good strong loving relationships with their kids, then the kids will not understand the discipline or lack thereof.

God’s Word informs our Parenting

God says a lot in His word about parenting, and Valeria and I are committed to following God’s word. In fact, those first 3 thoughts are all found in Scripture. Unquestionably, my strong desire to be a good dad and love my kids comes from God’s Word. His Word informs our parenting. God is our best example. He is the best Father. He is our father in heaven. We look to Him to see what He says about parenting. And we look to Him to see what kind of a parent He is. His love for His children is deep. We want to love our kids in that way. If the parents will not learn from God about how to parent, then the kids will not learn from God.

So to recap: 1) We’re together in this! 2) It is a top priority 3) Discipline is just a part of the relationship and 4) God’s Word informs our Parenting.

As usual, the Apostle Paul begins his letter to Titus by introducing himself. In this book, he gives himself two titles/labels: “A slave of God” and “an apostle of Jesus Christ.” Lets not overlook the significance of those two. They are both strong and honorable. However, in many ways they are opposite extremes. “A slave of God” is describing yourself in the lowest of ways. It is admitting that your life is for nothing other than the glory of God. It is a sign of humility because all followers of Jesus are slaves of God. And while Paul is one of the few select apostles, he still firstly introduces himself as God’s slave. “An Apostle of Jesus Christ” is describing yourself in the highest of ways. In the New Testament, there is no title higher than that of an apostle. In the history of the world, there have only ever been 14 true apostles. At the time Paul is writing Titus, He is most likely the last one living. Again, Paul was probably the only Apostle of Jesus left. That is a huge title. So Paul has introduced himself in his letter to Titus in a fascinating way – two very different yet very impressive titles – “Slave of God” and “Apostle of Jesus Christ.”

I recently began re-reading The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter. It is outstanding! Here is a very strong, insightful & inspiring quote about the strength of Christians. I pray that God would make us like this:

“The strength of Christians is the honor of the church. When they are inflamed with the love of God, and live by a lively working faith, and set light by the profits and honors of the world, and love one another with a pure heart fervently, and can bear and heartily forgive a wrong, and suffer joyfully for the cause of Christ, and study to do good, and walk inoffensively and harmlessly in the world, are ready to be servants to all men for their good, becoming all things to all men in order to win them to Christ, and yet abstaining from the appearance of evil, and seasoning all their actions with a sweet mixture of prudence, humility, zeal and heavenly mindedness – oh, what an honor are such to their profession! What an ornament to the church; and how serviceable to God and man!”