I met with a couple of fathers, who I would still put into the category of “new fatherhood”.  As we shared, it was clear everyone was feeling busy and trying to figure out fatherhood.  Before writing this, I came home from a night time meeting and jumped right into feeding our youngest a bottle. As I put him to bed, I had to help my older son finish making his bed, which should have been done earlier in the day. All I wanted was to get some supper and watch the football game.  Being a parent and working is a tough and busy road to walk. However, I am convinced of a few thing.

 

3 Tips for a busy Dad’s

1. Take control or be controlled.

There are a lot of things that need to be done, but I have learned scheduling is your friend.  Put time to watch the football game (perhaps with your kids) and to get the chores done.  Make a to-do-home-list each night.  Sorry, if you have younger children, it does mean longer days.  You are going to have to give up some things for a short period of time.

Here is a statement for entrepreneurs:  “As an entrepreneur, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success.”  (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219553)  It is sort of like being a dad!

As a father take control of the thoughts, conversations and actions so  they will  not control you.

2. Gather with other Dad’s.

Now in the younger years with kids, this is harder.  However, God has created it, so we need community in our life.  The Fall (Genesis 3) has lead us to the idol of individualism, but we need redemptive friendship.  Maybe we can only meet once a month, but that is huge. We need to work it with our spouse to take this time. You also need to make sure that your spouse gets out too, with smaller community.  Our growth will be found in grace and the body of Christ.  In a way these men become a pit crew for you.

3. Some seasons are busier then others.

This is just a fact. You will have some seasons that are busier than others. During these times we must be in constant conversation with our family.  We need to recognize when we need need to make a change in our life, so that we do not gain at work and lose our family.

4. Do not forget your spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines will not save you, but they will position you to hear from God.  They are there to keep us focused and lead us to Jesus.  This gets really hard in some seasons, and in my life it means a choice in the last hours of the day.  I can choose between watching TV, or pulling out the bible and journal, spending some time in the word of God.

Busyness is part of life and looks different for every dad.  Our challenge is to not let the busyness define who we are, but understand that our identity is in Christ.

For the fathers out there, take a deep breath. What is one thing you can do this week in order to be a father after the heart of Christ?

As you deal with a busy schedule, what have you found to be helpful in your journey of fatherhood?