In Proverbs and in James we read about being quick to listen and slow to speak. As Fathers, this lesson becomes even more important. In Ephesians 6:4 we read, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."(NIV). As we bring up our children in the ways of the Lord, we have to continually walk the way of a Spiritual Leader, first in our home and then in the Church and our communities. Our wives and our children can testify to how Godly of a man that we are by the way we treat them. A man that I respect very well, both in Christian and in business standards, once shared a story with me about one of his children. I have to say that I could not have handled it the way that he handled it, but through prayer and faith I might have had a shot. When he ended the story he said, "Don't be quick to anger and to discipline, instead, look for the teachable moments in life. Because those will be the ones that they remember." His son is a leader of the church and of his family as a Godly man. As men we are constantly looking for the easy way to do things, solve things, invent things, etc., but with our children and our wives we have to quickly learn that it is an investment. It is not just "quality" time, rather it's "quantity" that make the quality we desire. Instead of reaching for the paddle or being quick to anger, look for those teachable moments in life when you can take a walk with them and show them that this is our Father's world.
