An Adult In Thailand

In the midst of a dizzying array of new sights, sounds, and experiences I am having in Thailand, one thing has really stuck out on this trip.  My son has grown up.  This may sound simplistic to you but think about this.  Matt moved to Thailand after high school graduation so I am seeing him live and work on his own for the first time.  It has struck me that I am watching him live out his OWN faith and navigating the world apart from our family unit.  It has been gratifying and produced a great amount of fatherly pride. 

I had the opportunity to minister side by side with him and Dora as he invited us to help teach family relationships in an English Club.  Our family has always had a high value on ministering together.  So from a young age, our kids have considered themselves just as much missionaries as Dora and I are.  Our kids have always joined in where they can with English camps, translating, and church planting work.  So to be joining Matt in HIS ministry was gratifying and emotional.  This is a young man who is making a difference in the world. 

So when my jetlag woke me up this morning at 4:00 AM, I found my thoughts wandering to the importance of living out faith in your family.  If the family unit contains the closest relationships you will have in your life, then living out your faith within that unit is arguably the most important thing you will do in your life.  If you are like me, that statement has produced, at times, a low level anxiety because of the incredible responsibility that gives me as a father and a husband.  But by the grace of God, in my fallen-ness and in spite of my many poor examples of how to live, my children have picked up some good things.  Fathers, continue to fight the good fight and live out your faith within the family!

5 Related Thoughts:

1) Faith lived out within your family is a powerful conduit for Christ-like transformation.

2) Faith lived out within your family is sometimes planned but most often expressed in regular, daily life.

3) It is only by God' grace that you can be a living witness of Christ in your family.

4) God's call looks different for each individual but transformation is a constant.

5) On a personal note, I am VERY proud of all my children.  I need to express this to them more often.