A TRIBUTE TO DADS

“For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.” – Psalm 78:5-7.

On June 18, Americans celebrated Father’s Day, and rightly so. Fathers are a gift to each of us, not because our culture dictates it, but because fatherhood is a biblical role that God esteems.

Many of us are blessed to have had dads who strived to give us encouragement, direction, care, and counsel. They weren’t perfect, of course, but we never doubted their love. Father’s Day is an opportunity to express our gratefulness for the way dads all over the world put their needs aside to give us a better life.   

The idea of being a father is a whole lot easier than actually being a good father. It is not an easy dynamic to master. Even the best of dads fall short. The decision to be a father is not just a delivery room decision. It is a daily if not hourly decision. In the early history of our country, children worked with their parents on farms or some family enterprise.  That is no longer true. Some dads leave home before the children are awake. Others arrive home long after the kids are home from school. A combination of a busy schedule with limited opportunities for time together, fathers can unintentionally disconnect themselves from their children. It is the time to make some hard decisions: “Do I really need to make that additional sales call instead of being home when my son gets off the school bus?“ “Can I rearrange these appointments to get home earlier?” And when they get home dads need to take the businessman hat off and put on the “dad” hat. It’s a decision to prioritize his family.

Fatherhood is about being engaged with your kids, talking with them, engaging in their activities, and holding them when they need to be held. It’s wanting to be there for the first step and all the steps thereafter. Yes, careers are important, but they pale in comparison to your relationship with your kids.

Not only must dads decide to be involved with their kids, available and interested in what interests them, but dads must decide what kind of role models they’ll be. As fathers, we need a heart that loves God, loves His Word, and loves our kids. Our job is not to save our children but to share with them the truth about Jesus, the only One who can save. God loves our kids even more than we do, and He has a special plan for them. The way we share and teach our kids about Jesus will help shape their hearts for all that God has in store for them.

It’s worth figuring out how we can spend intentional time with Jesus to develop our relationship with Him. It’s worth pausing in the moment to pray with your child or turning up the worship music in the car to sing praises as you drive. Teaching our kids about Jesus doesn’t have to be formal or scary, but instead, daily conversations and teachable moments as life happens.   

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you call yourself a distracted father? Why or why not? What’s the worst distraction for you? 
2. How are you maintaining a culture of communication and conversation in your home? How can you become a better listener for your child?
3. We must seek out opportunities to speak God’s Word to them. What is a question you can ask your child this week to stimulate a faith discussion?