by Kyle Grindley

I have been on Sparklers staff for a while, and now that I have a daughter of my own, more than a few people have commented “Being in Sparklers must have made you feel more prepared for fatherhood” My first reaction is usually to point out that being with pre-schoolers for an hour a week, is a lot different than providing 24/7 care for a helpless infant. However, when I step back I must admit that Sparklers has given me one great advantage as I become a father; godly examples.

God has built wonderful supports into the church, where believers sharpen each other and the older instruct the younger through shared joys and struggles, advice from experience, and candor through the day-in-day-out challenges we all face. But as the church grows, it becomes harder to have contact across life stages. I often find it awkward to have conversations with people not in my affinity group or small group, or to ask a question to an older brother or sister who might have a helpful perspective on something I am experiencing.

Standing by the Sparklers door, checking kids out and exchanging brief updates with the parents has served as a great ice breaker that allows me to have these sharpening interactions with parents who are ahead of me. It has allowed me to maintain relationships with people who I wouldn’t normally have much opportunity to interact with.

These interactions have given me years of insights on the challenges faced by different parents with different kids. I have heard God’s faithfulness, working patience and perseverance in the parents as they work to strengthen their kid’s weaknesses, and to show them their sin and the Savior.

Often times a discipline issue during class gives me a peek behind the curtain at how the parent is shepherding their child throughout the week. I have been privileged to see how parents adjust their counsel and guidance to suit the differences from child to child, even within one family.

Sparklers has also given me a familiarity with parents that makes it easier to ask questions, to get advice. Sometimes it is very practical, something that came up just this past week. Other times it is addressing some anxiety I have about the challenges parenting will bring. Sometimes I am affirmed in my thinking, others I am given something new to consider. In all of it I am encouraged to look toward God; His past faithfulness to them reassures me of His promise of faithfulness to me.

The view from Sparklers has also humbled me, no parent has ever communicated that they everything all figured out, even the most experienced. The variety in the children’s personalities and bents means that I can never expect to get to a point in parenting where I have everything figured out. I will always need to lean on God.

So, yes, being on Sparklers staff has made me more ready to be a father; more confident in assuming the role. Not because of any practice that experience with the Sparklers has afforded, but because of the wealth of wisdom and encouragement I come face to face with at the end of each service when I get to squeeze in a quick chat with the parents.