My son is still young enough that he thinks I'm pretty smart. I know that window closes. Every dad knows it. So I've been thinking a lot lately about what I actually want to pass down to him. Not as lessons I announce at the dinner table. Things he sees lived out in front of him every day.
First thing: your word is everything. I learned this on the vessels more than anywhere else. Out at sea, if you say you'll be on watch at 0400, you're on watch at 0400. No excuses. People's safety depends on it. Life on land isn't that different when you strip it down. Your reputation is built one kept promise at a time.
Second: learn how things work. I don't care if he ends up a mechanic or a doctor or a pastor. Understanding how the physical world operates gives you a kind of confidence that no degree can fully replicate. Know how to fix things. Know how to build things.
Third, and this is the big one: keep Jesus at the center. Not as a rule or a restriction, but as the anchor. Every time I've tried to navigate hard seasons on my own horsepower, I've come up short. Every time I've gone back to prayer and Scripture and the community at Grace Harvest, I've found my footing again.
He's watching everything I do right now. That's the most motivating and most humbling thing I've ever had to sit with. I hope I'm giving him something worth carrying.
