DADS

Dads. 

Spider squashing,

Fort building,

Burger flipping,

Tool wielding,

Lawn Mowing, 

Joke Telling,

Ball tossing,

Princess crowning,

Dads. 

That’s me. 

That’s my dad. 

That’s probably your dad and maybe even you. 

But before becoming one, does any man ever feel qualified to be a dad? 

Maybe by the standards that I just listed…

But those are only surface attributes. 

Being a dad is much more than the iconic figure I just described. 

So what is it that prepares a man to become a father?

Is there a certification you receive?

A test or course to take? 

A book that fully prepares you for the task? 

Nope. 

It takes around 9 months, then you find yourself sitting in a hospital room watching videos on car seat safety and how not to shake a baby.

Then they hand em’ to you and send you on your way.

Suddenly, you are the only hope of survival for a person, and you are going to need more than a quarter-inch socket wrench and a terrific joke in your back pocket to raise that child into a decent human being. 

So, what is it we do need?

I’m a father of three. 

A  3 1/2-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 2-month-old.

Adding up to a grand total of about 6 years of parenting. 

So, I’m not going to pretend I know much. 

But I don’t think I can be replaced by a laugh-track sitcom on tv and a Craftsman wrench set. 

Or a Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy for that matter….

My family needs more than a handyman.

More than a comedian.

More than a paycheck….

They need a Father figure. 

That’s Father with a capital F. 

Because that is a Father that remains when I am gone. 

That’s a Father that will stay with my child when they leave home. 

That’s a Father that can fill the gaps of all the shortcomings I and every human father has. 

Our children need us most to introduce them to The Father. 

This is the biggest responsibility we have. 

And one I think I’m qualified to do... as long as I have a relationship with The Father. 

.

. .

This process of thinking led me down another trail. 

What else can I do to prepare my children for leaving home?

Or the Lord taking me Home? 

Thinking about this, there is one thing I came up with that I never thought of before. 

I believe my children need my spoken affirmation.

Words.

Words that make them understand how much they are LOVED, ACCEPTED, VALUED. 

Yes, the One True Father can do that better than I,

And as I said, I believe it is my number one responsibility to make sure they get to know Him… 

But what if I WANT to be able to tell them they matter? 

To tell them with my very own words how much I love them

And how much the Father loves them.

So, I’ve decided to start a journal of sorts.

Three journals, actually.

One for each of my children.

I’m going to fill them with all the things I think they should know about themselves.

Things I believe about them.

Things I know the Father believes about them.

Things they can only know if someone tells them. 

Maybe they’ll get this journal when I pass on.

Maybe I’ll give it to them when they leave home.

Or maybe I’ll never have to give it to them,

Because as I sit and think of all the things I want to tell them… I'll just tell them. 

Either way, my children will hear how much I love them and how much the Father Loves them.