Values, Life Lessons, and Truths Pt. 2

From father to child: valuable life lessons

Seven essential life lessons that every dad should share, no matter what his children's ages:

Be curious. Kids are innately curious—but in our rush to get wherever we're going, we fathers are always urging them to move along. Nothing will better unite you with your children—and better prepare them for life—than sharing mutual wonder and the urge to explore. Maybe there is an interesting insect or a beautiful flower in your backyard. Get down on your knees and examine it closely; look it up in the encyclopedia or on the Internet. Try to figure out how a mechanism works.

Be generous. Not just with money—but with time, possessions, and love. The spirit of generosity will teach your children empathy, helping them feel concern for those around them.

Admit when you're wrong. If you don't act as though you're perfect, your children will know that they don't have to be perfect either.

Be willing to fail. The kite crashes; a repair doesn't work; the puzzle pieces won't fit together. So what? You've shown your kids that it's important to try new things, regardless of how they turn out.

Be spontaneous. While it is fine to be organized, it also creates pressure to do things in certain ways. This takes some joy out of life. Teach your kids that it's okay to [move forward when plans are on hold].

Embrace spirituality. Encourage your children to cultivate their sense of awe and wonder—not once a week, but all the time. Spirituality is like a muscle—you have to use it frequently to make it stronger.

Respect your body. Good health is important. Lead by example. Let your kids see you exercising (encourage them to join in), eating a healthful diet, and generally living a clean life.—Joe Kita


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Family values

asked: What are our values as a family? What do we really believe? What is important to us? We came up with four words: gratitude, generosity, humility, and courage. We determined that we want those four values to define who we are as a family, and for Parker [my oldest son] and I, who we are as men.

So, I am always conscious of how do we cultivate gratitude. How do we model generosity? How do we stay humble and keep learning and stay hungry for more of God? And how do we live courageously? You cannot obey the will of God and not be courageous. That’s why God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous,” because if you are going to experience and stake claim to the promises of God, you are going to have to be courageous.

Those four words are words that begin to define us as a family. They are things I want to impress upon my children.—Mark Batterson

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If you haven’t done this already, it’s a good idea to give some thought to what your personal or family core values are—to determine the ideals that fundamentally guide your personal choices, that represent the Christ-life and integrity that you want to demonstrate, and that you feel will lead to your having a full and purposeful life.

Even if you haven’t previously given this serious thought, everybody has values or principles that fundamentally play into their decisions and thought processes, even subconsciously, and that are part of making them who they are, that form the fiber of their character. If you give this some thought and prayer, you’ll probably be able to recognize certain threads in your actions and thinking, points that you continually factor in to your decisions or base your decisions on, and this can help you to identify what values are core to you.

You might also recognize some points that you haven’t given the proper priority to, or factors that need more consideration, and you can adjust accordingly.

If we follow the thinking that the values in Matthew 22:37–40 are at the center of all we say, do, and believe, the basis for our choices … then any values springing from those two commandments will be in harmony with each other.—Peter Amsterdam