Crossroads

Fatherhood is a journey that has many pitfalls. One of the biggest dangers is resentment over having to change the way one has to live life. As a father you are still in charge but you are no longer in control.

In my house we currently have six wills trying to make it through the day and I only have control over one of them. The other five wills intersect mine repeatedly, from wanting to snuggle and read a book to crashing headlong into mine over chores.

I have come to realize the as a father, and it holds true at some level for mothers, that each interaction with my children is a crossroads in my life and in my relationship with them.

Jesus spoke of roads and how we must travel. As the Word in the Old Testament we see rules for journies and as the Savior in the New Testament we see Him sending people out on roads to spread His message. He spoke of the easy road, the well traveled road and its counterpart, the road less traveled.

The choice between those two roads is the choice I face with every crossroads in my life. Fortunately, He is the way, the Truth and the Life, He set out on journies and it is thus that we have Him as an example.

As a father I am to represent God to my children in how I lead them down the road and in how I interact when I come to a crossroads. It is my hope that even when they are discouraged from failures that I can show them many things about God's plan and as I share myself with them sacrificially that their eyes may be opened to Christ through me, much like Christ did with His disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S.

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