Good morning,
Two weeks of Rawlinsville Camp Meeting have come and gone. For our family the end of Camp also serves as the unofficial end-of-summer, as Mary started back at her college on Monday and the other three kids are preparing for their first day of school as well.
The beginning of the school year always triggers an emotional response from me, because each year marks another year of my kids’ growing up. Abby is headed off to Messiah University tomorrow, Trent starts his freshman year at Conestoga Valley High School on Wednesday, and Greg heads back to Cairn University next Saturday. Our home will seem a lot less full in a matter of days. It’s a tough season of life because my kids no longer need me to protect them quite the way they used to. They are growing more and more independent all the time.
Preparing to take Abby to Messiah reminded me of a time back when she was really young and she was helping to set the table. Picking up the silverware, she declared to my Mary that the spoon was the “mommy” and the fork was the “daddy.” When Mary asked her why, she replied that it was because the daddy had sharp points to protect the family from sharks (I should point out that there was a LEGO shark on the table at the time).
I chuckled when Mary told me about it, but then she reminded me that Abby sees me as the protector of the family. It is a tremendous responsibility, one that we dads cannot neglect. In fact, security is one of the two things (along with affection) that every dad must provide for their daughters. Providing security goes way beyond locking all doors and windows and installing one of those high-tech alarm systems. Security is built on two principles – presence and consistency.
Let’s face it, if we aren’t present, we cannot be a factor in our daughter’s security. She’ll feel like she can’t rely on us because we aren’t there. Providing security may mean adjusting our busy schedules. It may mean tea parties, playing house, and going to concerts and recitals. It will sometimes be inconvenient. It will also be worth it!
How else can we do this? Here’s what worked for me:
Hold her and hug her.
Tell her jokes (even if she doesn’t get them, she’ll laugh if you do), and then have her tell you some. Laugh hysterically at them.
Pick her up and comfort her when she falls. Don’t let mom be the one who always rescues her.
Take advantage of every Dads event at her school, church, and/or activities.
Tuck her in at night.
Consistency is also an important building block of security. Consistency doesn’t necessarily mean keeping to an ironclad schedule. It does mean being involved in our girls’ lives on a regular, consistent basis. We can’t spend a whole day with our daughter and then barely acknowledge them for a few weeks. That type of interaction is going to leave our daughters confused and questioning our love.
Being consistent also means being the same in all of our interactions with our daughters (actually, this goes for our sons as well). If they never know what kind of dad will come home at night, they aren’t going to feel safe. This type of consistency may be the hardest. But if we are overly affectionate one night and then stone cold emotionally the next our daughters aren’t going to be confident in where they stand with Dad.
My days of being the primary protector of my daughter are winding down, and I’m now going to have to do it from a distance for much of the year. Someday down the road another man will become the primary “protector” of my daughter. I’m starting to pray for him even now. Dads, if we want our daughters to seek out a Godly man who will provide the kind of security for them that we desire in the future then we need to be that kind of father now.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Coffee and fellowship starting at 9:30 am each Sunday in July and August. We are in need of someone to take the Labor Day Sunday slot.
- This Sunday, 8/20 is “Back to School” Sunday. We’ll be bringing the upcoming school year before the Lord.
- Men’s Breakfast is set for Saturday, August 8/26 at 8 am at Hometown Kitchen.
- Junior Youth have their next meeting on Sunday, September 3rd after the worship service.
- Sunday School returns with classes for all ages on Sunday, September 10.
- Our annual church Corn Roast is also on Sunday, September 10 at the Kreider home following the morning worship service.
- The church carpets will be cleaned on Monday, September 11. We could use a few extra hands to help move things off the floor on that Sunday.
This Sunday we jump back into our sermon series on spiritual disciplines by taking a look at fasting. Fasting was once a very prominent part of church life, but it isn’t quite as popular today. We’ll look at what Biblical fasting is, what it isn’t, why we should consider practicing it, and how to go about doing it. Keep this in mind – fasting is much more than simply skipping a meal, and it doesn’t always have to revolve around food!
See you on Sunday,
Scott