His Letter to Our Children

A week or two ago, I absentmindedly told Jordan I was thinking about having him write an article for my blog. We didn’t really talk much about it other than I had been thinking about him writing something & when he asked what I would want him to write about, I just said, “Whatever you’re passionate about.” Guys. I have never seen him turn something around so quickly in my entire life. That MAY be an exaggeration, but I’ll be totally honest, I had completely forgotten that I had even brought it up to him. That was until the other night when I was checking my email & saw a Google doc come through from him titled, “A Letter to My Children”.

Cue the 35-week pregnancy tears. Huge giant alligator tears. I read the first sentence & I couldn’t control the sobs. If you know Jordan, you know he isn’t big on sharing his emotions or feelings, so I’m shocked he’s even letting me share this. It’s so sweet & it’s so romantic & it makes me want to have a million more of his children. Okay…that last part might be a bit of a stretch, but seriously – what a freakin’ gem. His words to our Quincy girl & soon-to-be-born son are just too pure for my hormonal heart to handle. Enjoy!

To my beautiful children,

As I sit here today I think about you. I think about the things I never knew, like how much my life would change or how much I could love you. I was always scared of having children, but I have learned that there is nothing to fear because if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). I have learned that the Lord will provide us everything we need if we trust in Him and if we’re intentional about pursuing His will for us.

This year I have made it a point to be more intentional in growing as an individual. When your mom and I got married, I was told that I need to be the spiritual leader of our house. With that responsibility, I decided to focus on reading books that will help me in my quest to be the man God wants me to be, but also who my family needs me to be.  

Currently, I am on book 15 for the year, which for me is quite the accomplishment and while I have loved every book so far, there are two that stand out the most. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Chase the Lion, both by Mark Batterson. These two books have pushed me more than I ever thought possible and it’s because of these books I am thinking about you right now. My biggest thought about raising children isn’t in regard to how we are going to deal with discipline, the teenage years or any of the other million things we are going to experience as a family, but more about encouraging you to fail.

There was a point in my life where I feared failure. I feared being uncomfortable. I feared the unknown. I feel like I almost feared everything. I can say that today I still have fears. We will always have fear, but I know that with my pursuit of God’s will for me I can walk through any fear placed before me. I can face it and take one step at a time. Today I want to fail.  Mark Batterson talks about chasing your lion and having God-sized dreams. Dreams so big that only God can make them happen for you. That is my encouragement to you. Chase your lion knowing that God is with you. Live your life in a way that leaves you at the end of your life reflecting on what you accomplished and not what you were too scared to pursue.  

I want you to fail. I want you to get back up and fail again. Then get back up. My job as your dad is to make sure that you had a better life than I did growing up, but I can promise you I am going to challenge you. Just because I want you to have a better life does not mean I want life to be easy. I want you to learn that you have to work for everything you want out of life.  Nothing is going to be handed to you. I will be by your side every step of the way, but there is only so much I can do for you. I promise I will provide you with everything you need, but it is up to you to go out and grab the life that you want. I promise that if you passionately pursue God’s will that your life will be filled with endless opportunities.

The last promise I have is that I promise to love you with every bit of my being. That I will be there to be your biggest fan. I will always be here to talk no matter how hard the discussion. I want you to come to me with anything, knowing that I love you no matter what. In your toughest moments, I will help you get back up. In the good times and the bad times know that God will never fail you. I will always encourage you to live life to the best of your ability. I will do everything in my power for you to know that you are protected Live passionately, love deeply and always remember that if God is for us, who can be against us!

Love, Dad

This is the first photo of Jordan and our daughter, Quincy Rose, and it still makes my heart melt to this day. The way she’s looking up at her daddy, totally calm & peaceful. I had no idea what seeing Jordan become a father would do to my love for him. It is so much deeper, I would say on an entirely different level, but it’s really more like on a different planet. And seeing HER love for HIM…just about kills me.

Okay, I have to stop…I’m too pregnant for this. Once the tears start coming, they’re hard to stop. Either way, he’s an incredible dad to our Quincy and I know he’ll be just as amazing to our son!

Thanks for stopping by, friends!