What does it really mean to be a leader of your family? Have you ever really thought about it at a deeper level? Often leadership is confused with completing the most tasks, getting the kids to their next event, or securing a home via a stable career. You know, the provider role. As men, we get stuck in this way of thinking. While these things no doubt have an importance, and are part of being a good spouse or father; it’s by no means the most important duty of a husband and/or father. Being a spiritual leader of the home is the single most important role a man plays in the home but it often gets put off or pushed off on others.
I was tested in this recently. Our family very recently took a vacation to the mountains. As most do this time of year we planned on skiing as a family. The challenge was that three of the four of us had never skied before so lessons would be required and fears were there to overcome. As we embarked on this fun family adventure (think Griswold Family Vacation… a fair comparison) we were filled with excitement and anticipation. That excitement and anticipation turned to fear for some. Those that have skied can easily identify the intimidating factor the mountains play for a new skier. This was the case here. The fear of being out of control was real and terrifying, almost paralyzing. The enemy capitalized on this little opportunity, as he always does, and was working toward stealing the joy of our adventure as a family. It was in this moment that I felt the Holy Spirit come over me and I knew I had a battle to fight for my family.
I began to pray fervently over my family. Praying for God’s protection over them while skiing, for the blood of Jesus to cleanse them of the fear instilled by the enemy, for the enemy to be cast out in the name of Jesus and under God’s authority. It was a powerful moment and God showed up. The fear began to subside, the peace of the Father began to ease the intimidation and restore the joy we’d originally felt. This was a “stepping up” moment where it required some spiritual leadership for the family. I invited God into our adventure and made it clear the enemy was not welcome. This changed the trajectory of our trip, allowed us to fully enjoy God’s creation and beauty in the mountains and find joy in our time together as a family on a fun adventure.
The trip could have easily been derailed by frustration and fear. We would have missed an opportunity together and a foothold for the enemy could have been created. All it took was some quiet time with the Father, passionate prayer and full faith that God would deliver. I’ll be honest with you, this hasn’t always been the chosen practice for me. I’ve fallen into the trap of allowing frustration to cloud my mind, resentment of those that the enemy falsely presents as a hindrance; a full-fledged lie to steal the joy. This is how he operates. We as men have got to identify this and stand up for our families. Step into that spiritual leader role and fight the battle. That’s our God given role and we come to it from a place of victory. So let’s get after it men; and lead the way the Father designed us to lead. We’ve all got it in us!
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
