The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water..." - Proverbs 20:25 (ESV)
Father's Day. It is always a day
characterized by "mixed emotion". Our congregation celebrated
the day as a reminder of the noble calling that is fatherhood. A thousand
things could be said about the grandeur and challenges of being a father.
We took a few minutes on Sunday to talk "on the
level" about being dads. Here are some of the high points of our conversation.
God calls us to be "point men" for our families.
The image is a military one. The "point man" was the guy
out front. He was the one with the skills to discern the presence of anything that might harm the unit of men he was leading. They had a
mission. His job was to get them through the mission and back home
safely. What a fitting image for dads. We are the "point
men" in our families. But, becoming a point man doesn't come
naturally for anybody. These four things are good to remember as we stay
"on point" for our families.
1. We need to work out our center. Jesus could
say "it is finished" because he stayed connected with his mission.
He stayed connected with his mission because he was close to his Father. He often "withdrew" by himself to pray (Matthew
14:22-23). It was during those "alone times" that he refueled
and anchored himself in his relationship with the Father. We need to do
the same. Without these times of reconnection, we dry out and become
brittle. We can't be good dads on our own steam.
2. Work hard at staying clear. A lot of things
get into the air we breath. Stress. Distractions. Pressure.
Temptation. There are plenty of things that can cloud out minds as
men and distract us with lesser matters. Paul said, "So watch your
step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are
desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you
understand what the Master wants. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink
the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him" (Ephesians 5:15-18 The Message). Our temptation is to "check out" for periods and just be there physically. Our families need
us to be "truly present" in mind and spirit.
3. Make sure you bounce. If scripture teaches
anything it teaches that God wants us to get up after we have failed.
Unless you are living in a tree by yourself you will experience failure
of some kind. Some failures are more impacting than others. And,
there are some big ones in scripture. Satan wants dads to focus on
failure in any of its forms. God, says "lay it before me and let me
empower you for service."
4. Flip the switch. Don't buy the lie that it's too
late to start being God's man in your family. That's another of Satan's debilitating lies that he wants you to put in your pocket. Begin today!
Can we learn from the past? Absolutely! But the only viable
alternative is...forward! That's where God calls us. With hearts
full of the Spirit and humility God can use every dad as a tool in His hands.
That's what he longs for in every home every day.
This morning, every dad joined together in the following prayer.
Print it off and keep it close by. It can help each of us with the
four things above.
Father, thank you for creating me. Thank you for
blessing
me with the high privilege of being a dad. I want to reflect
your likeness
in my life.
Strengthen my resolve when I’m weak. Destroy my
pride. Increase my
humility. Enlarge my love. Increase my
joy. Help me to revel in the
little things; to know the difference between the important
and the
urgent. Help me to be a tool in your hands
for good.
Remind me every day that time is a precious thing. Fortify
me with the
courage I need to lead my family home. Help me to
know your Son
better in the present and future than I have known him in
the past.
Amen.
Randy Daugherty
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