Jesus gave us some incredible instruction when he told us not to worry.
Take a look at what he said in Matthew 6:25-34:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
What this is telling us, dads, is not to worry about what our kids might do, or where they might end up.
We are called to be faithful in the right here and right now. Watching my son torment his sisters now doesn’t mean that he won’t be a protector of them in the future. Seeing my daughter’s penchant for entitlement doesn’t mean that she won’t give generously to others later in life.
Do not get caught up in what might happen next week, next month, or next year.
Parent in the now. Be present in the lives of your kids now.
And let tomorrow take care of itself.
Be deliberate, Dad!
Are you a worrier? What do you do to combat this in yourself? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.