Dads, it’s Christmas week! Kids are out of school and a ton of family activities coming up. We can either step it up or miss some great opportunities.

🗣️ HERE’S 6 HELPFUL REMINDERS FOR DADS DURING THE HOLIDAYS

1. Do your quiet time FIRST. Great days are made by great mornings! Get up early before everyone else and spend time in the Word and prayer. You may still have to put in a 10-12 hour workday and come home that evening to a bunch of holiday activities. Prepare your heart for a long and glorious day by meeting with our glorious God FIRST! 🥇
   📖 Psalm 63:1 David said — “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” That word earnestly is akin to the word dawn 🌅 David knew that he needed God before he faced anything else. We should too. 📱(TruthForLife.org always has great devotional stuff. Short too. And there’s a free app)
2. Don’t complain. Not even in your own head. Contrary to what our flesh tells us, griping about things doesn’t make them better. It makes them worse. Philippians 2:14 says “do all things without grumbling and complaining.” All things. All. Things. 😑
3. Be present. Put the phone and laptop away and resist the temptation to get ahead on work while most are playing (I just read your man mind didn’t I?😆) I had a friend tell me “when work is your idol, rest always feels lazy”. Ouch. Ephesians 5:16 sayd make the best use of the time, because the days are evil. See my post from a few days ago, SIX CHRISTMASES 😢
4. Be fun. Loosen up. Cut up. Play some loud music. Twirl momma in the kitchen. Crack a lame dad joke. Laugh, especially at yourself. There’s a great sense of humor somewhere in there, but your family may have forgotten 😅 Remind them. Proverbs 17:22 says “A joyful heart is good medicine…” Let’s strive to be that medicine for our families.
5. Expect and embrace some chaos 🤪Some stuff isn’t gonna make sense, don’t let it blow your logical mind. Your fam is gonna be late somewhere. You’re gonna end up taking 2 cars unnecessarily. You’re gonna have to put something together from IKEA. Just smile and embrace it. – Proverbs 14:4 says “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” This proverb means the messiness is necessary for the greatness. Think about it.
6. Point your family to Jesus. Dads, this is a slam dunk. Don’t let this season go by without reading the Christmas story with the family (Luke 2:1-20). Heck, if you don’t like reading, have them read it! Then say something simple like: “We don’t claim to have a perfect family but we serve a perfect Savior. And that’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever have. Your mom and I believe that 100% and we pray that each of our kids do too.” 🎯 Jesus is the reason for this season, LET ‘EM KNOW! ✝️

💪🏼 We got this, dads! Don’t end up like Clark when he didn’t get his bonus. Be more like George Bailey at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life — grateful, joyful, and loving life and his family and friends.

📸: some crazy kids who make me wanna be a better dad every day of the year

Disclaimer: I didn’t write this because I’m the model dad. These are things I need to be reminded of as much or more than anyone.