If someone gave you 20 million dollars, what would you say to this person? I think you would thank them from your whole heart and would start thinking about how to best invest this money. And if they gave it to you with one condition, that your child wouldn't wake up tomorrow, would you agree to such a gift? I think any sensible father or mother wouldn't agree to exchange their children for any money, even if zeros began to be added to this figure. Your children's awakening and their morning joy are worth much more than all the riches of this world. The same can be said about any of us. There's no such figure of monetary sums that I would agree to trade for my morning awakening. And we are not our own, and our bodies belong to the Holy God, Who redeemed us with the blood of His beloved Son. We read about this in 1 Cor. 6:19-20.
But if such a question is asked to modern children, and instead of money a new smartphone or popular computer game, or television programs are offered, and in contrast the awakening of their father is put, then many will easily choose the first, and some of them won't even see the meaning of their awakening without all these gadgets and sources of entertainment. And this is the reality of the state of our society in which we live. Why does this happen? Because the god of this age has blinded the minds of people, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ might not shine for them... (2 Cor. 4:3).
The older children become, the more all kinds of ideas come to their heads. They are very creative, and can come up with all kinds of conclusions and expressions on the go, and their logic sometimes delights and surprises. They can make an interesting game out of nothing, and always find occupation for themselves.
Mama, as a rule, is always near the children, especially if they're still small. And papa is at work, or he's busy, or very tired.
Many people have made statistics of children's surveys, trying to understand how much time they spend communicating with their fathers. The obtained figures were stunning. From three to ten seconds a day! Some don't see their fathers for months, and some simply don't have them.
And if you take statistics of screen time that children spend in front of electronic devices and information carriers, these figures are no less surprising than the previous ones. From six to ten hours a day! Who do you think is engaged in raising our children? Where is their mind located? What values are being instilled in them by what they watch and what they play?
Every father will sooner or later hear such a request: "Papa, play with me!" What will you answer your child? Will you have enough courage to set aside all your important affairs, forget about fatigue and dedicate your time to the one whose awakening is more precious to you than all worldly riches?
It's easy to ask such questions, especially when children have grown up and have their own families. But I too have heard this request many times and didn't always respond positively to the child's needs. And time goes very quickly, and children, although they grow very slowly, mature and learn very quickly. And we parents teach them much, even if we don't have contact with them.
You can very easily teach a child that in this world there are more important things and affairs than he is. That there are personal interests that stand higher than family obligations. That there are even such types of service that I cannot exchange for my children's society. And children learn these lessons very well and don't argue with elders. They don't have enough wisdom to understand their fathers' busyness, their concerns, their burden of debts and problems they constantly solve. The child sees that he is less important, and therefore finds occupation or a game for himself, and sometime in his heart a break in values occurs and something happens that can never be restored. And there's no one to pass the baton of faith to and it's impossible to explain to the child that the Heavenly Father loves him immeasurably more when there's no example of earthly father's love.
What awaits such fathers in the future? Their children will have their own circle of communication, and their interests will stand higher than communication with their fathers, and if this communication exists, then from three to ten seconds a day, and some won't have it at all.
Our world has many material values that cannot be acquired in one's entire short life. And a beautiful life costs big money, which cannot be earned very quickly and sufficiently. Yes, we need to work, we need to earn something and somehow pay for life in this world, but this shouldn't take the main place and become the goal and meaning of life. And to understand what should be most valuable and important, it's enough to ask the question, can this be taken with you to Heaven. And determining this becomes very simple. Can I take my children to Heaven? Yes, and bring them to God and say: "Here am I and the children whom the Lord gave me!" (Isa. 8:18). Can I take my character to Heaven? Yes, but it should be holy and righteous and reflect Jesus. Can I take all my things and money to Heaven? Why would they be needed there? There will be other values there, friendship and love will be valued there, and payment for all services will be made with these very treasures.
Many busy fathers will justify their busyness and constant absence from the family by saying they work for the children's benefit, so they have everything and feel good. But children don't need these benefits, they need papa and his time. But since father arranges priorities this way, then let it be so. Only the harvest of such sowing will be very bitter.
Now our children don't need so much. When they are a priority, then it's not so important to them how much time we spend playing with them and what we play with them. They know that we are available to them at any time and they can always get from us what their young hearts so need. Children need fathers. And no matter how busy these people are, for any child papa is the dearest person. If papa died, that's inevitability that must be accepted, but if he's alive and he's not there, or he's unavailable, then no one and nothing will replace him.
There's good news also in that the Heavenly Father can make up for the absence of an earthly father and give much more, but the child's soul still needs papa, with whom you can spend time and have dialogue. Children don't have so much wisdom to express all their need for father's presence and significance for them, therefore they silently accept what they have, and build their life values where there's no papa.
The role of father in the family, his influence, his instructions and authority are very important in the matter of personality education. They say there are no irreplaceable people. Family is that place where there's no one better or similar to your place. You are irreplaceable here. And this should be remembered and understood. But if this isn't clear to the father, then who can convey this to him? Maybe this lesson will change something in the consciousness of the reading or listening father? How many millions is your child's awakening worth? Is this money really more important to you than the one given to you by God forever? God knows our needs and cares for us even in the most difficult time, but even He cannot replace us in our families.
The boomerang of relationships will definitely return. What we sow, we will reap.
Questions for Reflection
Please read Gal. 6:7; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Tim. 6:10; Prov. 22:8; Hosea 8:7; 10:12; Mal. 4:5-6; 1 Tim. 3:4-5,12-13; 5:8; Matt. 6:24; 1 John 2:15-17; Luke 1:17; 6:31, in light of this lesson. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind? What did you understand from this lesson? What role does the father play in raising children? How does fathers' busyness affect their influence on their children? Do you know about the problem described in the lesson not by hearsay? Why do many fathers think more about earthly things than about raising their children? How can a person understand the true value of relationships between children and parents? Should we be surprised by children's indifference to parents when one showed indifference to children? Do you think the message from Mal. 4:5-6 relates to our time? Doesn't the story about the sons of high priest Eli and those sad consequences with which everything ended alarm you? Read 1 Sam. 2:12-17,22-25; 3:13-14; 4:11,18. Will a child learn communication with father if father avoids this? Should fathers, before they have children, think about whether they can give them a papa? If you didn't have a father with a living father, should you deprive your children of their father?