LIVING differently

It's been awhile since I've written anything of significance on the old blog. It's mostly been NFL Pick 'Em updates. I've been really busy at work and haven't had much time to stop and process a lot of the stuff that's happening.

Now, don't get your hopes up because what I'm about to write may still not be very significant. But it was for me, so I hope it's beneficial to you.

As most of you know, Katie and I have gotten involved with Student Ministries at NMC this past summer and school year. One of the things that everyone involved with Student Ministries at NMC has heard about is the Kids In Need focus. Katie and I are leading Small Groups and have helped with some Kids In Need planning sessions. So, we're invested.

This past weekend was a big one for the Kids In Need effort. Starting with the Silent Auction and the 5KIN on Saturday, continuing with Derry's message Sunday morning and the Baby Walk Sunday night.

Katie and I were to be heavily involved with several of these events. I was going to run the 5KIN and shoot some video while doing so. Both of us were going to share how Kids In Need has impacted us as part of Derry's message and we both wanted to go to the Baby Walk.

On top of all that, Katie was hosting a 24-hour women's retreat called Refresh at the lake.

Well, plans changed.

Our two kids came down with something resembling Croup, starting Thursday night. It's nothing new to our family; it seems like we fight through Croup at leas a couple times each fall/winter. But this affliction was especially inconvenient considering all we had going on.

We planned to have our kids spend the night with their grandparents Saturday night and most of the day Sunday. As Friday night progressed, however, it became apparent that neither of them was well enough to go anywhere, let alone spend the night away from home.

Now, this is the significant part for me: One of the things I was going to talk about during Derry's message was how I've learned that kids right here in our area sometimes don't even have parents that care about them. It's impacted me and I never want my kids to think I don't care about them.

The grandparents were still more than willing to help out with the kids this weekend. They even offered to come to our house and sit with them, make some chicken noodle soup and comfort them. But something inside of me knew that was not a good plan. Something told me it was my job - even though Katie was gone at the retreat - to care for my children.

I tried to fight it. I was tempted to let the grandparents take the kids, even though they didn't want to go and weren't up to it. After all, I had a very good reason for doing it. I had important things to do (5KIN, work around the house and Derry's message).

But then I was reminded that there are kids in my own community who don't even have parents, let alone parents that are willing to take care of them when they're sick. So, I knew it was time for me to let go of what I wanted to do and embrace my role as daddy to those two sick kids.

Once I let go of my agenda, things went incredibly well. I had so much fun with my kids and it was wonderful being the one to comfort them and help them get healthy. We had a great time together and I think they realized that daddy was pretty good at taking care of them.

I don't write this to brag on myself, but to remind myself that it's not about me. The plans I had were for some very significant things, but what I ended up doing was much more significant. I want to always make the right choice, especially when my kids are involved.

I love them. I hope they feel and understand that.