...the Way of the Master

Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the Bible and Chapter 6 verse 4 is very challenging for me. Here is what it says:
⁴Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.

As I said before, I am reading a book with my brother that is called Integrity, but I have dubbed it The Quan and it is really challenging me. As the father of 3 boys that live life at full tilt my home is rather crazy, noisy and difficult to keep tidy. Last night I came home to Ryan having taken apart his entire airsoft rifle and scattered it across the kitchen table, Matthew dancing and flopping around on the second floor so loudly that it sounded as if he was going to come through the ceiling and did I mention that there was a paper target tied to the tree in the front yard, several pairs of muddy boots in the driveway and a boomerang laying in the yard. The rest of the evening was filled with more than its fair share of accusations and frustrations of trying to get things cleaned up, who made what mess and should be accountable for it and then of course the jabbing and nagging of boys towards each other.

Later that night while Suzanne was wrapping gifts I was reading The Quan and a couple of lines really hit me right in the nose. In them Dr Cloud talked about the fact that at home, just like at work you want to win the hearts of your wife and children through true care and empathy and then they will be more likely to follow you out of love and respect not because you have forced them to by shear will power (which can be easy for me to do with my young boys). That is exactly what this verse is talking about in Ephesians. I don't want to exasperate my kids so that they do what I ask in the short term but want to get out from under me the first chance they get. I want to lovingly "lead them in the way of the Master" so that they will want to follow me and ultimately him. It is something that takes great thought and focus for me though. I often have to check myself and evaluate my words and actions so that I do not find myself exasperating them and being too heavy handed with them.I have to constantly be checking my words and motivation. So that as the Bible says, when they are older they will have that foundation of love, discipline and faith and not stray from it. Thanks for the challenge God, Paul and Dr Cloud!