As ministers, it is so important for us to set a high priority on our family.
To help me remember what is important, I wrote the following list of promises to my 3 year old daughter:
Dear Abbye Grace, As your father…
…I promise to affirm you with positive words and actions.
…I promise to tell you that you are beautiful every chance I get.
…I promise to set a high standard by treating your mother with honor and respect.
…I promise to spend time with you.
…I promise to be the spiritual leader of our household.
…I promise to protect you.
…I promise to show you appropriate affection on a daily basis.
…I promise to spend time talking with you.
…I promise that I will be responsible in teaching you the Word of God
…I promise to take you out on dates.
…I promise to pray for you and with you.
…I promise to live out my faith in Jesus as an example to you.
…I promise to lovingly interfere with your life in order to guard your heart.
…I promise to be faithful to your mother and love her as Christ loves the Church.
…I promise to be your biggest fan and encourage you.
…I promise to not allow my ministry to come before my family.
…I promise to correct you in a spirit of love.
…I promise not to overuse the phrase “talk about it with your mother.”
…I promise to take a genuine interest in the things you like.
…I promise to always love you unconditionally.
…I promise to teach you that Jesus should be your hero, not me.
I will not remove anything from this list.
But I do reserve the right add to and amend this list as needed.
Love,
Daddy
Writing the list is the easy part. Keeping these promises is a daily responsibility that I cannot and will not take lightly.
I am open to suggestions for amendments to this list.