My kids used to play with Play-Doh and if I’m being honest, I hated it. Yes, I wanted them to have fun and be creative, but they would always leave it out on the table. When Play-Doh is in our hands, it stays fresh, moldable, and healthy. But when it’s out of its container but not in our hands, it gets wasted, becomes hard, crumbles, and causes a mess. Just like Play-Doh, we are all being shaped by something. But what shapes our identity?
If we are shaped by the wrong things, our hearts can become callous and disconnected in our relationships. Our lives can lose their meaning and potentially even fall apart. We need to make sure we are being shaped by the right things. And there’s nothing better to be shaped by than God. In my opinion, God is the ultimate father. He created life and family. When God is doing the shaping, I am a better friend and father and honestly, a better person. Here are 3 things God uses to shape me as a dad.
1. Reading
God uses scripture to speak to us. Scripture should shape your relationship with Him. I’ve heard it said that if you want to hear God speak, read His Word out loud. Imagine having the actual manual for how to have the best relationship ever and never reading it. Find the time and the discipline to read scripture.
2. Prayer
We were made to be in a relationship with God. If we never talk to Him, what kind of relationship is that?We were made to be in a relationship with God. If we never talk to Him, what kind of relationship is that? We need not only to speak to God but also to listen. Get quiet with Him and ask Him to speak. One thing that will help take your prayer life to another level is learning to pray according to scripture. Speaking to God in the language He speaks helps us better understand Him. It changes our motivations and makes them more like His.
3. Community
How are the people you spend time with influencing you? Do they move you toward God and His ways or away? What shapes our identity is the people with which we surround ourselves. They say if you hang around five millionaires, you’ll be the sixth. In a community, there can be an iron sharpens iron effect. If you want to have the best relationship with God that you can, you will need to live in a community that values having a relationship with God.
Remember Isaiah 64:8, which says, “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Allow yourself to be the work of His hand.
Sound off: What is shaping you?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “Who is someone we could pray for?”