Living With Purpose by Matt Dobson
Father’s Day Edition
Some Father’s take a lot of flak for being inefficient and not being in-tune with what’s going on within the family unit. A recent story shows the creative management techniques of one Dad. As told by a young father: Our family took hours to set up camp on a recent outing. But the couple and three kids who pulled up next to us did it in mere minutes. “How did you manage that?” I asked the father. “I have a system,” he said. “No one goes to the bathroom until everything is set up.” Who says Dads don’t have good ideas?
Most fathers desire to be the best Dad they can be. And like all jobs, it takes effort, work, and an extreme amount of patience to be a worthy and responsible Dad. In our world of declining moral and ethical values, good fathers are becoming harder to find. Pastors and counselors need to find new ways to inspire men to meet God’s challenges. There are several factors to be emphasized to achieve this.
Today’s society has been bombarded with unfaithfulness as has no other generation. It has compounded separation and divorce and destroyed millions of families. A worthy father is faithful; he honors his marriage vows with care and protects his children and is loyal to them; he is constant in his allegiance to God. The Bible says, “It is required…that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).
When she was small, my daughter would run to me and say, “Hold me Daddy, hold me!” She would say it in a way that would melt my heart and I never could come up with an excuse to say no. In fact, I never said no. I didn’t want to say no. Many fathers are afraid to show affection. Their own insecurities cause them to forfeit untold blessings. Thus, happiness is denied to both themselves and their families. Fathers who show affection, strengthen family ties and instill faith and security in their children (1 Peter 4:8), and kids find their father to be approachable and loving. It’s important that children don’t feel trapped, dominated, and have to live in constant fear of what their parents will think, say, or do (Col. 3:21). I believe trust is so important, not because of the joy, hope, and confidence it generates, but because fathers and children who are trusting are better equipped to trust their heavenly Father.
Children need security for healthy mental and emotional development. When children have the utmost confidence in their father, they never have reason to question his integrity. An honorable man will be respected; he will protect his family’s name from slander and disgrace (2 Tim. 2:21).
A healthy man is a happy man. A father needs to take care of himself physically. One of the reasons I try to exercise and stay fit is so I can remain energetic and active in my children’s life as much as possible. Plus, the more able you are physically, the more you can assist the less fortunate, comfort the bereaved and lonely, and share Christ as opportunity affords (1 Thess. 1:3). Children need to know their father is not lazy and slothful and seeks to make their future as secure as possible.
For the man with children, who considers fatherhood a critical element of his existence, will be rewarded in this life. His children will make him happy and will be a blessing to others. One of my greatest joys as a father came several years ago when my daughter was about 3 years old. It had been a very long day at work and I was tired. As soon as I walked through the door, my wife yelled, “Anna Marie your Daddy’s here!” I could hear her shouting, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” from the back of the house. She came running, jumped in my arms and started crying. “Anngirl, what’s wrong?” I asked. She showed me her bruised knee and skint elbows and explained she had fallen off the swing set. I sat down and applied the imaginary medicine of pretending to kiss the “boo-boo” away. She quit crying, hugged me tight, looked up at me, and said, “Daddy, I love you.” When she ran off to play I commented to my wife how Anna Marie seemed really upset at first. And my wife said, “It must be a Daddy’s Girl day. The funny thing was you were the first person she called for when she fell. It’s usually me she wants when she gets hurt, but she wanted you. My feelings were hurt a little.” I had to chuckle at that a bit and of course you know this did wonders for my ego and made my day not seem long after all!
Any worthy father will tell you, despite the cares and troubles which may come in raising a family of fine children, there is something truly blessed about being a Dad. For those who are and those yet to be, consider the traits you need to pursue to be the best you can—faithful, affectionate, trusting, honorable, energetic, and rewarded. The birth of your children, their growth, and their anticipated achievements brings you close to the root of life, which is God. If you haven’t been the Dad you should be or could be, consider the time you have left with them now. Commit to a new promise and you will have guarded the good thing which was committed unto you by God Himself. Be a man! Be a real Dad! Take your family to church and follow God in all your ways.
- This weekly column is written by Matt Dobson. A graduate of Florida State University, Univ. of West Florida, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, he is Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Jay, Florida and a 1LT Chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves. Matt can be reached by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu. He welcomes your thoughts concerning faith, belief, and Christian living. Visit the Living With Purpose website at www.living-with-purpose.org.
