perspective
Posted by: UNEEDJC7 <UNEEDJC7@...>
Perspective. It matters. It all depends on how you look at things.
Leaving Safeway and going south out of Sequim you drive over the freeway
by-pass a ways and you see all these children working in the yard with
their parents. Slave labor? Or a family subduing the land that God has
provided them? Is it drudgery or the highlight of the week? Perspective.
I didn't picture myself the father of one child, let alone seven. Before
Jenny and I got married we had this one conversation where I used the
term “rug rats.” I had "ministry" to do. Oh, it seemed like it would be
proper to have a couple, for appearances sake. I did not even realize
that I was looking at fatherhood from a selfish perspective and not God's
perspective.
The change came in leaps and bounds. I was silly enough to pray "Lord I
want to see things the way You do." In March of '82 at a Bill Gothard
pastor's conference, he taught on letting God be in control. The example
he used was the number of children you would have. He also taught that
children are a blessing. The amount of Scripture that came forth was
amazing to me; why I had I never seen it before? Then in February of '87
we went to hear Joe Ott speak. He shared “God’s people are no longer
having God’s children.” Perspective.
When I resigned from the "ministry" in 1985, a number of people said that
they hoped one day I would re-enter, return soon to "God’s" work. I tell
people when asked what I do that "I just mow lawns." But that does not
give the clear picture at all. I am a discipler of seven (so far). With
Jenny’s help, I am training up and leading six princes and one princess
preparing them to rule and reign with Christ--starting now, here on
earth. I am discipling them to fill their place, to live for Christ and
to hold nothing back in love and obedience to our King.
Because of the time invested in Daniel, Valerie, David, Michael, Joshua,
Stephen, and Luke I am better known, more widely received, and have more
opportunities for ministry than I ever had when I was a clergyman. In
Sequim people comment all the time about David and I as they see us
together working--even more so when some of the other boys are with us.
We stand out. But you see it is nothing that I did or planned. It was
because I wanted to see God glorified in my life and He led the way to
fatherhood. Fatherhood is a small revelation of what our heavenly Father
is like.
My perspective has changed. I now realize that fatherhood is a ministry.