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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Dads: The Good ones, the Bad ones & the Invisible ones.

Boys, I hope you do not end up hating me after this.

Not only might you hate what you are about to read, but you just might hate me a bit more because your girl will think that I am the best thing since sliced bread.

Let’s talk about dads for a second.
Do we need to check National Geographic to be sure this group of people is not extinct? I read a startling stat that I do not want to reconcile in my heart, “Tonight roughly 40 percent of kids will go to bed without a father.” This means that just about the majority of kids today are born out of wedlock / have no active dad in their lives. Sad. The question is, Dad, why are you invisible?

It also recently came to my attention that there is another epidemic with dads. Apparently there is this group called, “bad dads” out there that are a cross between a zombie from the Walking Dead and Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell. Kind of an “I’m a dead-beat no-good, waste” fused with “Hey, I am 26 but spray on Axe products and need a guy’s night out ... again.” Bad dads seem pretty popular these days. If you are having trouble identifying who I am talking about, let me give you some indicators: The ones that abuse their authority by being a tyrant, the dads that avoid their responsibilities by not providing for the overall bettering of their families (meaning mental, physical, monetarily and spiritual guidance), dads that spend all day on the X-Box, dads that have the same exact habits as their teenage children, dads that dress like they are their teenage children, dads that are better than their kids at Guitar Hero, dads that lose their jobs because they would rather be playing Roller Hockey, dads that send their wife and kids to church without them 50 out of 52 Sundays a year and any dad that just read through this list and thought that everyone of those things were OK to do reguarly. One of my favorite pastors, Mark Driscoll says that there are a lot of boys that think they are men because they can shave. If I may modify that a bit Mr. Driscoll: There are a lot of dads out there that think they are father’s because they can have relations with a girl and make babies. I have heard this a thousand times but it bears repeating, HAVING A CHILD DOES NOT MAKE YOU A FATHER. The question is, Dad, why are so bad being a dad?

Boys, I hope you do not hate me … yet.

The Bible speaks a lot about husbands and fathers. It actually calls for the man to be the “head of the family” (Eph. 5:22-23). Ladies, do not cringe, I do not want to lose you, just put your big girl pants on and hold on … Being the head of the family does not mean that the man is supposed to take a superior position or walk around like he is William Wallace. Rather, it means that the father bears the greatest responsibility for his family. He is the Priest. Meaning he is the one that guides spiritually. Dads take your kids to church. Take them by the hand and pray with them. He is also the Prophet. Dads, speak words of life and encouragement to your kids. Dads, utilize the lessons that you have learned and share wisdom with your kids. He is also a King. Dads you rule your house. Not with an iron fist but with a gentle, sacrificial love. You are a Priest. A Prophet and a King. 



Boys, if you hate me, then all you showed me is that you are indeed just a boy.  A real man is everything described above. 
 
If you read this and are still confused as to which category you fit, simply take this and show it to your wife or girlfriend. Their response will show you which category you fit in to.

Dads. Your role in your family is big. If you are not there for your family, the hole left by you does not close up, instead it remains big –if not BIGGer due to your absence.

I wrote this with the hopes that if just 1 person was inspired to become a better dad for his family, then my joy was made complete. Pass along the article to a friend hoping that another person may benefit too! 

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