Wednesday Thoughts for Dads

The last couple of weeks I’ve been writing a blog every Wednesday aimed at dads. This started simply as an early morning thought I had on a Wednesday where I was praying and reflecting on how I wanted to respond to my family when they woke up. It was a good morning of connecting with God while I drank coffee and watched the sun come up.

I am more than willing to admit here that being a dad isn’t always the easiest thing for me. I’m also not alone. The only way that I know how to get any better at this though is to be open and honest with other dads and work on encouraging each other.

So here’s a quick thought for today. I have been thinking a ton recently how I pray with my kids. In particular I think about the prayer time in the evening as they are being put to bed. I’m not happy with how I regularly do this.

I’m probably like a lot of parents in that at the end of the day I’m tired and often I’m just praying for my kids to go to sleep quickly. One thing I find myself doing though is being too short and lacking the proper care and posture as I pray with my kids.

I’m resolved this week (I’m not actually home this Wednesday as I’m at a conference) to be aware of how I am praying with my kids. I’m going to encourage you to do the same thing. Pick a night and mentally prepare yourself that you will be a nurturing and caring dad who’s goal is to have a great prayer time with your kids at bedtime. One thing you can/should do is just lay in bed with them for a bit and talk. Ask them about their day. Ask them what things they’d like to pray for that evening. When you do pray don’t rush through it. Lead through that time and encourage them to think about God and work on having it be not just a time where they are “asking” for things.

There you go. Try it out dads and let me know how it goes. I’ll be doing the same thing as you.