“We make a living by what we do; we make a life by what we give” Winston Churchill
In the past, kids grew up with a built-in support system – a father and a mother. Today families have changed drastically, and far too many kids are growing up without a dad in the home. And sometimes, even when there is a dad at home, he is missing in action.
Since 1960, the number of children growing up without their father in the home has risen from 4.4 million to more than 31.6 million in 2010.
Is there any challenge more demanding … yet promising … than to be a stand-up dad who is a SON to our Heavenly Father? Like Father, like Son … the question is, which father will you follow …. your earthly or heavenly father?
Many of the men I meet, inside or outside of the church, grew up with an absent father, or one that was neglectful or abusive to mom or the kids.
Father wounds are difficult to address because it requires men to ask for forgiveness from their earthly father for not loving them the way Jesus loves them. But by not forgiving our fathers, we are not only continuing to cause ourselves pain, but we are driving a wedge in between us and God. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15
Once this forgiveness has occurred, men’s lives are changed forever, and Jesus turns them into the type of son, husband and father He wants them to be.
Our churches are full of men who want to be involved in a significant way and make a difference. There is no better way to make a difference then by giving yourself away to disciple another man or mentor a young boy. It’s far better to …. “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, they will not turn from it” Pr. 22:6.
May our Lord bless you with His grace this week and reveal Himself to you, so you know He’s always there!
In Christ,
Bill