EPISODE SUMMARY
I’ve been thinking about everything we’ve been talking about this month—character, who you are, and how you live—and I want to take it a step deeper. I want you to understand what grounds me when things get hard.
There have been times in my life where I felt overwhelmed, unsure, and like I didn’t have everything together. In those moments, I’ve had to turn to something bigger than myself. My faith has been what brings me back and reminds me I’m not carrying everything on my own.
When I think about how I want to live, I keep coming back to this question—what would it look like to respond like Jesus? To stay patient, show grace, and keep doing what’s right even when it’s hard. That’s what I try to come back to, not perfectly, but consistently.
I want you to know there will be hard moments in your life, and you won’t always have the answers. But you don’t have to go through it alone. I just want you to have something that grounds you, something you can turn to, and something that brings you back to who you want to be.
SHOW NOTES
- A letter to all three kids
- Faith and character connection
- What grounds you in hard times
- Responding with patience and grace
- A message from Dad
Transcript
This is Mr. Funky Teacher. And this is Funky Letters to My Kids.
Today’s episode is called Who I Turn To When Life Gets Hard (Faith and Character).
This one is for all three of you—Mya, Carter, and Gavin.
I want to talk to you about something that connects to everything we’ve been talking about this month…
Character.
Who you are… how you live.
But I want to go a little deeper with it.
Because for me, character isn’t just about trying harder.
It’s about what you’re grounded in.
And I want to take a second and say something that I’m thankful for.
I’m thankful for my faith.
I’m thankful that I have something to turn to… especially when life gets hard.
There have been times in my life where things weren’t easy.
Times where I felt overwhelmed…
Times where I didn’t have all the answers…
Times where I didn’t feel like I had it all together.
And in those moments…
What’s helped me is my faith.
It’s been turning to Jesus… talking to Him… leaning on something bigger than myself.
Not because everything suddenly becomes easy…
But because I don’t feel like I’m carrying it alone.
And that’s made a difference for me.
Because when life is going well, it’s easy to think you’ve got everything under control.
But when things get hard…
That’s when you really find out what you’re grounded in.
And for me, I keep coming back to this:
What would it look like to respond like Jesus?
To stay patient…
To show grace…
To keep doing what’s right—even when it’s hard.
Because that’s what we’ve been talking about this month.
Doing what’s right.
Treating people well.
Choosing the kind of person you want to be.
And faith is what helps me do that.
Not perfectly.
No—not at all.
Not perfectly… but consistently coming back to it.
I want you to know this:
There are going to be hard moments in your life.
Moments where things don’t go your way…
Moments where you feel pressure…
Moments where you feel unsure.
And when those moments come…
I hope you know you don’t have to handle it all on your own.
That there’s something more you can turn to.
God.
That you can pray.
That you can lean into your faith.
Because it’s not about having everything figured out.
It’s about knowing where to go when you don’t.
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s this:
Character isn’t just about what you do.
It’s about what you’re grounded in.
And for me…
That’s my faith in Jesus.
I want to take a moment and say a prayer.
God, thank You for my kids.
Thank You for being with me through the hard times and not leaving me to figure things out on my own.
Help my kids grow into people who are strong… kind… and grounded in something bigger than themselves.
Be with them when life feels hard.
Guide them, and remind them that they are never alone.
Amen.
At the end of the day, this is what it comes down to:
Be who you are.
Treat people right.
Keep growing.
And remember—
You can change the world by how you live every day.
Go make a difference.
I’m proud of you.
And I love you.
Dad.