The older I become the more I realize I put my parents through perdition. The toughest task I believe I’ve ever faced is raising two boys. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe Amy and I have two of the best children we could have ever asked or prayed for, but as they grow older, I realize more and more each day how terrible I was as a teenager and even young adult. My prayer is that if my sons, Cole and Jacob, don’t do half the stuff I did, I believe they will both turn out just fine (maybe they will act more like there mom).
Today, I am so thankful for my “drug problem”. No it’s not the type of “drug” you are thinking about. You see Deacon Max (aka Dad) “drug” me to church as a young man every time the doors were open at church and the scripture (Proverbs 22:6) held true, that if you train up a child in the way he or she should go, when they are older they will not depart from it. So from the bottom of my heart I offer my sincere love and adoration to Dad and Mom for training me up in the way I should go.
When I think about the future, I can’t help but wonder how Father’s Day will be celebrated in 25 or 50 years. According to recent research (Pew Research Center) 40 percent of homes with children under the age of 18 already have a woman as the sole or primary breadwinner. Where is dad? Men we have got to step up, take responsibility, provide for and train up our children.
Not to say that mom can’t do these things, but who is going to throw the baseball or football in the backyard with your son, chase off boyfriends trying to date your teenage daughter, show children how to fix leaky pipes or be there when your son or daughter just needs some good fatherly advise? In my opinion, if you are not involved in your child’s life and do not provide for your child then you do not deserve the title of “father” or “dad”. Again, I am thankful I had a “Dad” to teach me and show me the error of my ways (and there were plenty of them, trust me). In honor of my Dad and all dad’s out there enjoy this Father’s Day poem:
What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
-Author Unknown