by Jason Nabb

So, tonite I got to go on a date with my wife.  I love her perspective so much, but before I spend the whole post gushing over my beautiful bride (which I could easily do) I want to talk about something she said tonite.

“You’re really good at starting things…you should focus on that,” she said.  She was encouraging me to focus on my strengths.  I was driving down the road.  It reminded me of learning to drive with my dad back when I was 12.  I love the sound of a rock road under my tires.  We went for a ride out in the country to a piece of land that idealizes one of our goals as a family.  We would like to live in the country where each kid could have an acre of their own to roam.  At first, it wasn’t too much to ask, but with six of the wonderful little blessings, it’s a bit more of a challenge!  We were talking about finances and getting out of debt and how it seems sometimes like such a long road and it’s hard to tell if we’re getting anywhere.  Anyway, I struggle with a bad case of the can’t-seem-to-finish-what-I-starts.  It’s nothing new.  In fact, it’s a skill I’ve perfected over the past couple of decades.  Cindy is always looking at how to best use what she’s been given.  As a mother of 6 and a husband of me, she finds herself having to do that a lot!  Seriously, though, she is very positive and resourceful, especially when it comes to my abilities and skills.  She really knows how to encourage me to do my best.  That’s what she was doing with that statement.

Here I was getting myself down because I can’t seem to finish things.  We both recognize that I’m great at starting a family (6 kids, remember?) and the potential hazard my affliction holds for us if I don’t work on this and end up “not finishing” as a father.  I don’t want to get to the home stretch and run out of steam on little Sammy or Petey (that’s my little girl).  My youngest children deserve every bit of my attention as a father as the rest.  Not only do they deserve it, but the need it.

I look at all the things I want to do with my business, with ministries.  I picture myself writing books, getting involved in politics, making films or using my photography to make some profound artistic statement.  All of these things are constantly bombarding my brain and asking for my attention.  All the while, Isaac, my wonderful little guy, is tugging at me asking to play a game or read with him, or play Transformers or just wrestle around.  He needs me.  I believe Satan is distracting me with, seemingly, legitimate ideas, goals and missions.  I need to remember that my focus needs to be Isaac and his “distracting” requests.  If I can focus on my children and help them to know the Lord and succeed in keeping them on the path, then I will reap rewards much greater than I can imagine.  Life changing rewards that my family will experience for generations to come.

My children are not older yet, but now is a great opportunity for me to focus on the road ahead and finishing what I started.  If there is anything on this earth I want to finish…

Tags: committment, fatherhood