Pandemic Ponderings Ep. 1 Fathers, Use This Time Well

Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in. This is the first episode of Pastor Tim's Pandemic Ponderings.

I thought it might be useful to keep in touch with all of you during these days of quarantine and isolation with the goal of ministering

God's Word to you so that you can use these days in a profitable way. That is, in a way that helps you understand your present circumstances through the lens of Scripture and also to help you use the time for your growth.

Most of us are still trying to get used to the new normal. For some it's almost too much to bear.

You're used to socializing and talking with friends and family. You're used to work where you spend hours with co -workers.

You're used to the same routine every day and now you don't have any idea what to do with the time you have on your hands.

Some of you are struggling because you can't see your children or worse, your grandchildren. Others of you are in paradise.

You love the fact that you can stay home from work no longer under the pressure of producing so many cars or dryers by the end of the day and you never like chatting with co -workers anyway.

Some of you love to be alone because now you can read those books you've always wanted to read but couldn't because someone was always using up your time.

Frankly, there's many people who just don't like to be around others. Even though they cannot live their dream of escaping civilization by moving to the mountains, they can now keep everyone at bay.

Wherever you fall on that spectrum, you should think about using these quarantine days in a way that honors

God and utilizes the opportunities to grow in areas hidden from you until now. Today I want to talk to you dads out there.

Most of you walk out the door early in the morning and return eight to ten hours later. Now you're in an entirely different universe with people that may seem strange to you since you've never seen them in action during the daylight hours.

So what can you do as a dad? Actually, you don't need to do anything different than what the scripture tells you to do.

Ephesians 6 .4 gives you the template for your time at home. It says, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the

Lord. Let's face it guys, all this time at home has given you a great opportunity to provoke your children to anger.

You need to be aware of that and guard against it. You ask, what do you mean? Well, life's been turned topsy -turvy.

How are you handling it? Do you find yourself grumpy because you don't know how to handle the change in routine?

Do your children irritate you just because, well, just because they're being kids and they don't know how to handle the change either?

Maybe you're angry because you can't work or worried because the money is drying up. All such attitudes will have a detrimental effect on your children, not to mention what happens when such attitudes move to discipline motivated in an irritable and angry way.

Guard yourself against provoking your children during these days. The best way of doing that is to learn how to handle the hardship in a godly way.

By the way, we'll address that issue in future episodes. You know, God expects his people to be different than unbelievers in the way we handle crises and even in the way we relate to our families.

Leading up to these instructions, the Apostle Paul says to you, I therefore, a prisoner of the

Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

That is to say, since you have been called to faith in Jesus and since you've been forgiven and adopted and transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light by what

Jesus did, live like it. So because of our redemption and our privileged position bought by Jesus' death, let's not provoke our children, but let's instruct them and shepherd them in paths that glorify

God. How can you do that in times like these? Use this time to get to know and teach your children.

Are your children strangers to you? Do they seem like foreign creatures from the hours of eight to four?

Get to know them in this environment. Observe them, which means pay attention to them. How do they treat their mom and how do they relate to one another?

Ask them questions about their likes and dislikes, what they think when they don't have to go to school.

What was she thinking when she got angry with her brother a few minutes ago? Build your relationship with your children.

What an opportunity for them to love you even more, dad. Play games with them. Go for walks with them.

Do you have projects that you've wanted to get done and now have the time to do them? Have the children help you, which means it will take you much longer, but it's worth it.

Make this a memorable time for them. You want to build your relationship with your kids so that they love their dad and will want to talk to him when they're 16 and 17.

You can use this time as a real opportunity to strengthen that bond of love.

Most importantly though, is that you can use these quarantine days to lead your family spiritually.

Maybe you've not been much of a spiritual leader. You're so busy with the normal routines of life that you never really took the time to read with your children or instruct them.

Seize the opportunities now afforded by God's providence to grow. You have time now to read the scriptures to your children and with them.

Set aside a bit of time in the hours you now have available to do that. Now that you're eating breakfast with them every day, spend time after breakfast to read a chapter from the

Bible. Just one chapter. Ask the children a few questions. Let them ask questions.

You received the New City Catechism a few years ago from the church. Use that in your time with the children.

There are a great number of books to help you have such times with the kids. Get a couple and use them.

If you don't know what to get, send me an email. I'll send you some resources that you can use.

Then pray with your children. Because this has not been a habit for you, it may seem strange and uncomfortable.

Just like anything else in life, a new practice becomes comfortable when you just keep doing it.

So do these things regardless of whether you feel comfortable or not. You have time now to develop those habits.

Another way you can develop as a spiritual leader is to lead your family in Sunday worship. Make sure you gather everyone for the online worship service.

And when it's time to sing, sing along with those leading the music. Don't just sit there and listen.

Lead by joining in. Wow, that seems strange, right? But again, you can learn to lead with something as simple as that.

Lastly, as you get to know your kids, you can teach them God's truth for their situations.

Do the children have too much time and they're starting to get lazy? Now is the time to teach them diligence and work from God's Word.

And then helping them learn with work that they need to do. Are they scared about this deadly virus?

You have time now to teach them how to rely on God. Are they angry because they cannot see and play with their friends?

You have time now to teach them how to accept the providences of God since He knows what's best for us, even in the loss of friends for the time being.

Men, you have time now. Opportunity for you to grow and opportunity to lead your family.

the most of it. God bless you as you seek and serve Him.