Who we are as a family

Awhile back, a friend challenged me to have in writing a sort of family statement of values. Something that could help guide me as a father and be a reference to the rest of the family to know who we are, and where we stand. I think this is what leadership looks like, or at least the start of it. As a wise man once told me that you can’t wait until you're fighting for your life to figure out who you are or what you believe in. So, here is what I’ve written down for me. A standard I hope to live up to and to raise my kids in.

We can do hard things.

We know that our identity and strength comes from the Lord and from that we are at our best when we are most dependent - hard things are easy to rise up to because it’s clear to see how much help we need. Romans 15 strength is for service not status.

We are empathetic to the emotional needs/state of others.

Knowing our own emotional sensitivity and how much our God cares for us, helps us prioritize sharing that emotional love over viewing people as resources for us to gain from.

We are generous!

Knowing that the Lord provides our value we can freely give of our time, resources, and experiences to those in need. Do not be anchored to the tangibles, but be rooted in Christ.

We are coachable.

Rooted in humility, we are willing to listen, prayerfully consider, and put aside the temptation that we are the smartest person in the world - the fear of the lord is the beginning of all wisdom and wise council of others is how we are able to accurately handle the word.

We don’t take ourselves too seriously!

Be silly! Have fun with others! Get outside your comfort zone and enjoy the joy of laughter while protecting against the idol of valuing the perception of others more than your Lord and savior Jesus.

We own our part no matter big or small.

As sinners, we must never think we are above sinning and humbly submit to the spirit regularly to show us where we can take ground as we battle sin. We tangibly demonstrate all the above by regularly admitting our shortcomings to one another.

These are hard things to live by and harder to put into practice daily. The reality is, it is a struggle to lead myself well first, before I attempt to lead others towards the same goal.