They spent the night in the vicinity of God’s temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning. ~1 Chronicles 9:27
“At first I was insulted by what Stanley did before going to bed every night,” I heard my friend Cindy tell me, “but then it dawned on me that my husband was a door-checker.”
Stanley and Cindy had been married for only a few weeks. At the end of the day, just before retiring for the evening, Cindy would walk around their small, first-floor apartment, making sure all the doors and windows were locked. A few minutes later, while she was taking her makeup off and getting dressed for bed, Stanley would also make the rounds. He would go to each door and window, testing to be sure they were really locked.
This infuriated Cindy. Who does he think he is? she would fume. Doesn’t he think I know how to lock a door? But like a lot of newlyweds who are trying to make the unbelievable adjustment to married life, Cindy didn’t say anything to Stanley.
“Then one afternoon, almost a full year into our marriage, after Stanley had called me from the bank where he works,” Cindy said, “it hit me. Stanley’s job is to take care of people’s money. They trust him because of the way he values their life savings. I was married to a professional door-checker, and for the first time, I was thankful.”
The Jews were in trouble. Their enemies surrounded them, licking their chops over the possibility of capturing this fertile land and enslaving these hardworking people. So 212 men were given the responsibility of guarding the temple—the precious home of the God they loved. Day and night these sentinels stood guard, making sure nothing happened to the sacred dwelling place. With the diligent protection of these gatekeepers, the people slept peacefully.
You’re way ahead of me, aren’t you? Good.
One of the most important responsibilities you and I have as dads is to stand guard over our homes. To give our family the security of knowing that their safety—physical and emotional—is something we take seriously.
This protection can take many forms. Of course, it includes doing our best to guard our children’s bodies and minds—from choosing the right kind of safety seats in the car, to giving instructions about staying away from hot stoves, to setting boundaries on entertainment and technology. But our door-checking must also include standing guard on their emotions. As dads, our job is to provide a safe place for the inevitable broken hearts and shattered dreams of our children.
Our children need to know that even when they’re sleeping their dads are safe-guarding them. We’re doing our best to ensure their protection—outside and inside. Door-checking—it’s one of the most important jobs we have to do.