As a husband, as a father, and as the spiritual head of my household I am called to be Christ-like for every member of my family. I am to be the vine on which the branches that are my children are to grow and produce good fruit. Yes, it is important to allow them space to personalize their faith, however, it's critical that I impress upon them that I am to be their spiritual example for quite some time.
From time to time I still look to my father for advise and guidance during certain situations that perhaps I've never encountered before. I am still fairly young as both a husband and father, and I can absolutely appreciate the experience of those a bit further along them me.
Now, some of the best advice my father has given me is to simply say, " just figure it out". After seeing how I have managed to raise my children thus far, with no small help from my extraordinary wife, my Pop recognizes the importance of working through difficulties on my own.
In truth, I'm never really on my own. I carry with me the lifetime of guidance and wisdom given to me by good ol' dad. He lead our household in scriptural reading and insisted we keep an open prayer line with our Lord. My old man would often say that our prayers may not be perfect, but our intention certainly can be. He was the vine that has led this branch to sprout fruit, good fruit; two boys and a girl worth of fruit.
So, it comes as no real surprise that I see a lot of not only my wife and me in my children, but also a bit of my dad. We are not your typical fruit, and there may be a little nuttiness to our flavor, but good fruit we are none the less. And good fruit tends to produce good fruit, all around itself. Thanks be to God.
Blessing,
Michael Salinas
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