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Key Bible Verse: The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him (Psalm 103:13). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 6:20—23

I was absorbed in my own career when a wonderful thing happened. I spent a week of vacation working with my father. He was building his dream home in a nearby community in his spare time. This week it was time to work on the roof.

From Monday through Friday, my dad and I hammered, sawed, painted, and held on to shaky scaffolding. We ate banana sandwiches for lunch, and devoured bags of Mom's homemade cookies during afternoon breaks. Between sunrise and sunset, we talked—about shingles, and about life.

Something strange happened when it came time to leave. In the few minutes it took to turn the car onto the entrance ramp of the interstate highway, something inside me turned on the tears.

It was so simple: I'd enjoyed being with my father. For years, I'd been seeking fulfillment from the spotlight, the praise of the crowd, and the right corporate ladder to climb. But in that wonderful week on the rooftop, there was no public applause, no promotions to be gained. I was happy with the simple discovery that I loved my father, and that he'd loved me all my life.

—Andy Cook in The Search for God's Own Heart

Adapted from The Search for God's Own Heart (Kregel, 2001) by permission.

My Response: How could I make time to savor family relationships?

Thought to Apply: There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend.—God's Little Devotional Book for Dads

Prayer for the Week

Heavenly Father, help me to enjoy being a man in an antifamily culture, representing you faithfully as an earthly father.

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