DadU: Competitive Parenting - Moving from Comparison to Contentment

Thank you so much for investing time with us at DadU. As always, our hope is that you walk away encouraged and equipped with some tools to help you "run with endurance the race that is set before [you]" (Heb 12:1). Braun did a great job of encouraging us from his own struggles with and journey toward contentment, reminding us that:

• True contentment comes from the Lord (not our children, their accomplishments or the circumstances surrounding our family),
• The lures of the world toward envy will make our "bones rot" (Proverbs 14:30), and
• That worldly standards are to be rejected for the sake of the higher purposes of the Lord.

Competitive parenting has no place among the people of God. Our singular aim is faithfulness to the Lord, living for the Father to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

CALL TO ACTION:

Each month at DadU, we try to give you a practical step to take as you grow in your faithfulness. In light of this month's topic, I want to give you something that is potentially less practical but more aimed at your heart and attitude. This month, will you spend time meditating on these truths from God's Word?

• You are more loved than you can possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:14-19).
• By grace, God the Father is not ashamed of you and is proud to call you His own (Hebrews 11:16).
• By grace, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is not ashamed to call you brother (Hebrews 2:10-13).
• By grace, God, the Holy Spirit, has not given up on you and will be with you to the end (Philippians 1:6).

As dads, we need these truths embedded deep in our heart when we are tempted to compare and compete and use our children as measuring sticks of our awesomeness. Our identity is entrenched in the unchanging truths of God's Word and what He tells us about ourselves through them.

RESOURCES:

Just a couple of resources you may want to check out that could be helpful on this topic:

• Book: Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls by Gary Thomas - Excellent read for how parenting is a gift from the Lord not primarily for our happiness but for our holiness.
• RTRQ: "How Can a Christian Overcome Guilt and Shame?" - This short video is helpful for us as we seek to root our identity as dads in the Lord and not be overrun by guilt and shame over our shortcomings. See also the "Truth and Lies" sheet connected to this video.

UNTIL NEXT TIME:

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 10, 2019 for the kickoff of a new DadU season. Praying you will be faithful and intentional with your opportunities as a dad this summer and we look forward to being back together soon!