Sunday, June 19, 2016

These Two Titles

I have held a lot of different titles in my adult life. I have been everything from a student pastor, 5th grade teacher, landscaper, mud/mortar mixer and carrier [for a masonry company], golf ball shagger [for a driving range], executive pastor, Starbucks barista, telemarketer, data integration [temping agency], Elder, behavior specialist, coordinator of instructional technology, community pastor, coach, and my newest official title is coordinator for innovation and STEAM.


Of all of the different titles I have answered to, at various times, I had the opportunity to celebrate my two favorite titles that I am known by this week.


Husband


Daddy


I want to take just a minute to reflect on each of these positions that I hold. The two most important positions I will ever hold.


As the husband of Mrs. Snow, my “job” is to love, honor, cherish, and lay down my life for her every single day. Every. Single. Day. Nope, every single hour of every single day. Here’s the reality, we (men and women alike) are told a thousand times a day in a thousand different ways that the most important thing is life is to be happy. I could not disagree with this sentiment more. The most important thing in life is to find something (or someone) that you are willing to sacrifice and lose everything for, if that’s what is required.


There is also the weight of understanding my role as husband in light of Christ’s relationship to His Church. The Church, in the Scriptures, is known as the “Bride of Christ”. The call on my life, as a Christ follower and a husband, is to love my wife the way Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her. There are so many ways in which I can give up myself for the sake of my wife. I believe this is the way I can honor both my wife and my God through this relationship. Susan often says “you spoil me” but my response is typically “no ma’am, I’m just loving you”. I have had the distinct honor of being called her husband for 15 years now. My prayer is, that means 15 years of honoring the name of our great God and King through loving, honoring, and cherishing my bride, His daughter. AND for a lot more years ahead, doing the same.


The title of husband is definitely my favorite title.


But, a very close second...or maybe 1A, Daddy.


There’s a somewhat bizarre text in Luke 11 that I read today that reminded me of why the title of Daddy is so important.


“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
(Luke 11:11-13 ESV)


This verse stuck out to me because I absolutely love giving my boys things. I love it. I’m sure I walk a fine line between simply letting my kids know I was thinking of them and wanted them to have something nice, or something to make them think about me, and flat out spoiling them. But, this reminder from Luke 11 that if even I, who is evil, know how to give good gifts to my kids, how much more our heavenly Father freely give (specifically in this context, His Spirit...wow).


There is so much about being a daddy that makes me reflect on the heart of Yahweh. How much He desires for us to just be held by Him. I feel like daddies have the ability to make things right that do not seem to be right. They have to ability to make you feel safe when things feel chaotic around you. And I mean, c’mon, there’s nothing in the world like a hug from you daddy.


I believe that dads have the ability to show the heart of Christ in such a special and unique way. I am so grateful to be able to play the role of dad for my Snow boys (as well as other kiddos at various times...because dads just cannot stop dad’ing when they see dad’ing that needs to be done), but also grateful for all of the dads I have had in my life. I have learned so many different life lessons from each of them and could never repay them for the role they’ve played in my life. But I am most grateful for Yahweh, my daddy, and His promise to give the good gift of His Spirit.


Time to go tuck the boys in…


Superman (I’m not really Superman, but my boys are at least still partially convince I MIGHT be)