Recently, I took my 8-year-old daughter out for one of her most favorite events… a date with dad.

After a fun visit to enjoy the furry and feathered animals at a local pet store, we walked across the parking lot to a newly built massive furniture store. It was HUGE — taking up at least a city block, if not more.

Once inside, we were immediately impressed with the size of the store, and even more impressed as we walked around looking at the variety and quality of all the expensive furniture inside.

That’s when I began to notice something potentially DANGEROUS happening in my heart.

I sat down and leaned back in a very nice leather recliner couch. It was luxurious and very comfortable.  I casually mentioned to my daughter, “This is much nicer than our couch.” She agreed.

Then we went over to the bedding section and began testing the selection of mattresses, laying down on one after another. Again, we commented on how much more comfortable and nicer they were than ours at home.

After wandering around the store together through room after room of showroom furniture, we finally made our way back to the entrance.

Heading back across the parking lot, we walked past a late-model luxury car. I noticed the inside, which sported an elegant wood trim dashboard console and stylish leather interior.

“Wow,” I thought to myself. “That car sure is a lot nicer than ours.”

My heart wrestled with these longings for “bigger and better”, “nicer and newer” things as we made our way to our car. Before me was a choice: to allow discontentment to take root in my heart, or to be thankful and grateful for the provisions God had already given to me and my family.

When we compare the provisions God has already given us with newer, nicer, more expensive, and more comfortable items that don’t belong to us, there is usually a struggle, a wrestling, a temptation, a DANGER — envy, covetousness, and discontentment.

Whether it’s a new car, a recreational vehicle, furniture, a house, or even our spouse, when we compare what has already been provided to us with what is “out there” in the marketplace, a tv commercial, a webpage, or even another person, we run the risk of becoming discontent in our hearts. Which can lead to foolish decisions and regrets, bondage to debt, and even more tragic consequences in our lives.

If we compare any provision God has given us with something else that we don’t have, there is potential for danger around the corner. We must always be on guard, paying attention to what is happening in our hearts in any given situation.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” ~Proverbs 4:23

Blessings to you and your family,
Joey Watkins
Founder, FamilyDads.com

Attention Dads with Daughters: Two Great Resources

She Calls Me Daddy Seven Things Every Man Needs To Know About Building A Complete Daughter Learn More

What A Daughter Needs From Her Dad How A Man Prepares His Daughter For Life Learn More

This weekend, my oldest son Andrew did something for the first time.

He mowed our entire half-acre yard… front and back… with my riding mower.

I didn’t have to do a thing except give him a few pointers, keep an eye on him, and make sure he was being safe and doing a half-way decent job.

I’ll admit… it was nice delegating that chore to him! I’ve been looking forward to doing so for a long time.

But something strange happened inside of me as I watched him lap our yard with my yellow earmuffs cupped over his ears, his feet barely reaching the pedals.

If you’ve been at this stage of fatherhood, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Yes, I was proud of him…

- Proud that he was mature enough at his age to be doing this.

- Proud that he was willing to take on this new responsibility.

- Proud that he wanted to “be like Dad.”

But something inside of me struggled with seeing my boy growing up!

Yes, I know it is inevitable.

I just wish there was a pause button to slow down his progression toward adulthood.

In just a few years from now, I will be looking my son in the eye, because he will be as tall as me. His voice will have changed. He will be driving a car. And he will be thinking about his future as a young man.

When that time comes, I hope to reflect on lots of fun times we had together when he was just a lad, and the privilege of being the Dad who got to raise him, invest my time, money, and energy preparing him for manhood, and more importantly, for eternity.

…and perhaps I’ll have a few regrets too.

But for now… we Dads can be thankful for our children.

And do our best to intentionally make the most of each day with them… one day at a time… while they are still with us growing and developing their minds, bodies, souls, and spirits .

Blessings to you and your family,
Joey Watkins
Founder, FamilyDads

PS – If you are looking for a fun Christmas game to build memories with your family, click here to see a game our family has lots of fun playing.