One of my favorite moments of each day is the quiet moment I share with my sons well after they have gone to sleep. In the quiet of night I slip into each of their rooms to make sure they are covered up and warm before I go to bed. Often I stop and think… “holy cow, I have two boys!” Most of the time I whisper prayers on their behalf praying for things like strength to stand against temptations I know they will face. I will pray they have the grace to act as gentleman in their lives as it relates to friends, women, church, family, and business. Many prayers are spent praying against the enemy of God and his efforts to win their hearts and rob them of the joy of knowing and following Jesus. Last night was a little different. I stayed up late to watch a documentary on WWII. It highlighted the sacrifices of so many young Americans to protect what I enjoy today. I heard stories of great personal loss and loved ones who beamed with pride over those they lost during this war. So, last night as I slipped in to pray and care for my boys my thoughts were more like, “I would die for you without hesitation.”
I gotta tell you it was a simple statement that is having profound effects on me today. It is nothing new, but is in this moment all new. I thought of how Christ died for me, and how he has called me to die daily to selfishness and follow Him. This verse from Matthew 16:24 came to mind:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ?take up his cross and follow me.”
I was so eager to confess my willing sacrifice for my sons…how willing was I to do the same for Jesus? After all, I believe He has already done this for me. Then I began thinking about the ramifications of daily dying to myself and what that would look like. Not choosing sin over holiness. Obedience rather than rebellion. Devotion instead of fickleness. It really comes down to a commitment. Am I committed to living like I am dying. Dying spiritually to my selfish ways and embracing the way of the cross. The implications go even deeper. If my faith in Christ is immediately impacted, so then would statements of devotion to my family. I confessed in that nightly prayer that I would die for my kids, wife, and family. The wave of conviction that swept over me next was, “then why won’t I live for them?”
We spend so much time thinking about how much we would die for our loved ones that we rarely consider how we will live for them. I felt conviction over certain dietary selfishness that could rob me of healthy days and the potential for longer life. I felt the shouts of anger and impatience screaming back at me and thought about how I can never have those back. I crumbled under the pressure of my own choice for work over family and what they tells my most cherished people. Although I have made major improvements in some of these areas in the last many years I am a work in progress and I am sure this epiphany is pushing me to declutter and refocus on that razor sharp edge God wants me to live on with my family…AND WITH HIM.
My life with Him will only strengthen my healthy habits towards and for my family. Dive in to your relationship with God as you seek to follow Him and deny yourself. Let that relationship change the way you will sacrifice for your family. Conisder right now how you will live to make your family more aware of your willing sacrifice on their behalf…not just in words (they are often too cheap, too easy to speak) but in your actions. Good news… you won’t be alone!
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