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Hey Dad,

Last night I did battle with myself. It was intense. My wife was meeting a friend, and it was my job to feed the kids. I did that, and then the battle started. I was clearing the table, when I saw a large, sticky spot encrusted with food and dirt under my youngest son's chair.

"You ought to mop the floor for your wife," a voice said. I looked around to see if my wife had said it. She hadn't. I was alone, and the voice had come from within my own head. So I answered myself.

"I fed the kids and did the dishes … isn't that enough?"

Myself responded, "Yeah, but wouldn't it be nice if you mopped the floor so your wife won't have to?"

"Apparently you didn't hear me, because I said I fed the kids and did the dish …"

"I heard you, but you need to mop the floor too." By this time the voice was shouting.

It didn't help that yesterday the pastor mentioned that the same voice told him to clean up the kitchen the night before for his wife. He confessed that he had failed. Now here I was, faced with the same decision. It should have been an easy one. After all, it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes. But then again, I was pretty tired and I fed the kids and did the dish …

And then in a moment of Herculean strength, I forced myself to get the mop, and I mopped the floor. The really weird thing is that I hear the voice often. It encourages me to clean up my own messes, bathe the kids, and (here's a big one) hang up my clothes instead of leaving them in a heap on the floor. Sometimes I ignore the voice and lose the battle; other times I win. And although my wife may not fall on her knees and worship the ground I walk on for doing those little things, I can almost hear God say, "Well done, Dad."

You know, Dad, now that I've mentioned it, you'll start hearing the voice too. Even tonight, it'll ask you to give of your time and energy. The battle will be fierce, but I know you can do it! Your wife may not thank you, but that doesn't matter, because …

… you 'da dad!

© Copyright 2005 Todd Wilson. Used by permission.

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