Prayer for dads

Father, Ephesians 1:6 says we are accepted in the Beloved. The acceptance is in Christ, not in me. I am received because I am tied to Him. I keep forgetting what that means.

It means I do not need a streak of good days to keep my standing. It means I do not need to ace this quarter to be loved. It means I can have a hard week without that hard week threatening my place.

I have spent too much energy performing for an acceptance that was already given. Let me put the performance down today. Work hard because the work is good, not because it secures Your love. Love my family because they are mine, not to prove I have it all together. Pray because I want to talk to You, not to check a box.

Lord Jesus, You are the Beloved. In You I am accepted. Help me work and parent and breathe today from inside that acceptance.

Amen.