Following the Guideposts

This picture was taken a couple of years ago.  Every year we go camping as a family for a couple of weeks in the summer.  I've been going to the same camp ground since I was 5.  My father instilled in me a love for nature, a respect for the elements, and the beauty of following a path to its end (even if you need to make your own from time to time).
You can see that this particular day was beautiful - a perfect sky contrasting with the deep greens of the forests of Northern Ontario.  We climbed this mountain, treading where many have tread before, but over the white granite terrain there was little opportunity for trail markers to be left for people to follow.  Few trees grew there to hang little, coloured tags.  There were some markers painted on the white rock to help guide the way.  And some people had build small piles of granite stones to remind them of their way.
Well, all this was not enough to keep us from losing our path, much to the chagrin of my girls, especially my youngest.  We wandered through the forest for almost an hour trying to find our way back to the trail we had been hiking.  Eventually, we caught sight of the top of the mountain where we had been and made for what we knew.  By and by we stumbled across the path that we had unknowingly left a while back and made it back to the campsite in time for dinner.

Children need a path to follow.  We can help lay that path for them to explore their world, find their strengths, and be an impact around them.  And a way that we can guide them by pointing them to the guideposts along their path.

• Dads can show where those guideposts are.  Like the little tags left dangling on the trees, we can help our children see their way when they aren't sure themselves.  
• Dads can leave the guidepost.  We can intentionally guide our children by directing behaviour, disciplining with purpose, and interfering in their choices when needed.
• Dads also need to be the follower.  There are times when children need to lead so they can test themselves and find their interests and purpose.  Dads need to be close at hand to give encouragement and direction when needed.

So realize that you are a key guide for your children.  They may lose their way from time to time, but may they know that they have a father who is always ready to guide them through the dark forest.  May they know that they are never alone.