Consider that in the Bible, the greatest (the only?) blessing God ever gives is to be fruitful and multiply. This is God, He could easily give Adam or Abraham or whoever all the riches and power of the world.. but His great blessing is… children.
And it’s not because in those days people valued kids more, precisely the opposite. Kids were often treated like trash. People today misread the Abraham/Isaac story, think “wow, God is so cruel to demand a child sacrifice.” Nope. All the other people were constantly sacrificing children to their gods, just like the Aztecs would continue to do just a few hundred years ago. The big message of the Isaac story is God revealing He’s not like that, He’s a child-saving God, not a child-sacrificing one.
Finally, this Advent, it’s so important to understand that God chose to come to us as a child. It’s wrong to focus just on grown up Jesus and his adult teaching. Put the Christmas back in Christ, the child back in God.
All this is not just because God loves children, it’s because He loves us - and He must know something about how best to bless us, and He does so by giving us children.
When I saw the title of this post I thought, “It’s like he’s talking to me.” Thank you for this, it’s something that perfectly applies to my life right now.
Thank you Mike, was great to read this early on a Sunday. The routine is key & not letting the “I’m missing out” thoughts creep in. Its an almost a monk like approach & mentality -- but instead of being in monastery, you’re at home. At first I dreaded work from home but now am fully remote and embrace it. A few things that have worked over the years: when the kids were young, my wife & I found a good babysitter and went out to dinner once a week. It cost a lot but it always gave us time to reconnect and kids asleep when we returned. We’ve been married 25 years. Kids are now teens, its tempting to let them be autonomous and reclaim more time, but after reading Mate’s “Hold on to your Kids”, now I drop whatever Im doing to spend time with them. Last thing, get used to being interrupted without getting angry. Every day is lesson in patience. Thanks again for this post
In my parental experience such approaches have produced great returns.
Stroller walks and runs will turn to bike rides. My kids jump at the chance to go out together now, screens be damned.
Just wish I had been as focused during my 20s the way I ended up being with kids in my 30s. That is the most impactful advice from this article, skip Vegas trips and bar nights, build yourself up.
Consider that in the Bible, the greatest (the only?) blessing God ever gives is to be fruitful and multiply. This is God, He could easily give Adam or Abraham or whoever all the riches and power of the world.. but His great blessing is… children.
And it’s not because in those days people valued kids more, precisely the opposite. Kids were often treated like trash. People today misread the Abraham/Isaac story, think “wow, God is so cruel to demand a child sacrifice.” Nope. All the other people were constantly sacrificing children to their gods, just like the Aztecs would continue to do just a few hundred years ago. The big message of the Isaac story is God revealing He’s not like that, He’s a child-saving God, not a child-sacrificing one.
Finally, this Advent, it’s so important to understand that God chose to come to us as a child. It’s wrong to focus just on grown up Jesus and his adult teaching. Put the Christmas back in Christ, the child back in God.
All this is not just because God loves children, it’s because He loves us - and He must know something about how best to bless us, and He does so by giving us children.
Anyway, great thought provoking post, thank you.
When I saw the title of this post I thought, “It’s like he’s talking to me.” Thank you for this, it’s something that perfectly applies to my life right now.
Thank you Mike, was great to read this early on a Sunday. The routine is key & not letting the “I’m missing out” thoughts creep in. Its an almost a monk like approach & mentality -- but instead of being in monastery, you’re at home. At first I dreaded work from home but now am fully remote and embrace it. A few things that have worked over the years: when the kids were young, my wife & I found a good babysitter and went out to dinner once a week. It cost a lot but it always gave us time to reconnect and kids asleep when we returned. We’ve been married 25 years. Kids are now teens, its tempting to let them be autonomous and reclaim more time, but after reading Mate’s “Hold on to your Kids”, now I drop whatever Im doing to spend time with them. Last thing, get used to being interrupted without getting angry. Every day is lesson in patience. Thanks again for this post
How do you coordinate romantic time with your wife around being a parent?
In my parental experience such approaches have produced great returns.
Stroller walks and runs will turn to bike rides. My kids jump at the chance to go out together now, screens be damned.
Just wish I had been as focused during my 20s the way I ended up being with kids in my 30s. That is the most impactful advice from this article, skip Vegas trips and bar nights, build yourself up.
Nice and easy read, really like the way this was broken down and very concise
Thanks for the post, Mike. Excited to read more.