My Life's Work

About two years ago I got the grand idea that I was going to write a book.  I came up with a great topic, a catchy title and opened a new Microsoft Word document to start hammering away my first work.  I still have that file on my computer with little more than 200 words and lots of scattered thoughts.

Today a friend of mine asked me how my book was coming (he too has the dream of writing and publishing a book).  I explained to him that after my work day at the school, I come home and immediately get busy playing with my boys, changing diapers, taking out the trash and whatever else I can do to ease my wife's load at the end of a crazy day.  With four kids five and under, every part of our evening is pretty busy.  Usually, by the time we lay our kids down to sleep for the night and fulfill the last request for a song or a prayer or a hug or a joke, we use our remaining bit of energy to straighten up the house (neither Grace nor I can relax in a messy room) and then we collapse. 

To be real honest, our evenings after the kids go to sleep are not often very productive.  Our energy is zapped and we usually cuddle up on the couch and quietly talk or watch a movie.  Those 2 or 3 hours at the end of the day are the only time I have to work on something like a book, but at this stage in my life my mental, physical and emotional energy is spent elsewhere.  Today after explaining all that to my friend I felt completely ok with it.

It sounds exciting and fun and fulfilling to write a book, and someday I just might, but there is nothing more exciting or rewarding or eternally impactful I could spend my time on than bringing up my children in the wisdom and instruction of the Lord. 

There are plenty of people writing good books, but there is only one man who God has chosen to be Dad to Trusten, Brahm, Samuel and Liberty- that's me.  If at the end of my life I have written no books and most people in the world have no idea who Ryan Wheeler is, I will be satisfied and fulfilled to simply know that my children grew up to walk closely with the Lord.  And though I'm sure it has happened, I cannot expect my children to get there if I neglect them during these precious years for ministry and projects that seem more impactful. 

There is no greater way to impact the world and the future than by being a godly dad to as many children as God will give me.  My children are my life's work!!

Stirring Speech

The speech below was given by Congressman John Boehner minutes before the vote to pass the Healthcare Bill. If you can ignore the couple of bleeped out words when he gets fired up, this speech is worth watching.

God Wants My Heart and I Should Want Theirs

In Isaiah 29:13 God says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Sometimes I feel this way about my kids. They say, “Ok” or “Yes sir,” but I can tell that they are NOT happy about it.

God desires my heart, not just my outward compliance so I should want the same from my kids. If I succeed in getting them to comply with my demands, but never win their hearts, then I will have failed because when they leave my house they will conform to whatever new thing CAN win their hearts.

With this in mind, I am praying for strength and wisdom to train and discipline my children well. I want to diligently teach them righteous living and thinking. But I must not neglect their hearts!!! God help me to reveal my heart to my children and then do everything righteously possible to win theirs!