Man UpSample

Week 2: Be a Man for Your Family

Here we make the transition in this section of ‘man up in your home,’ switching from our role as husbands to our role as fathers. This passage is a nice transition passage – as husbands, we are reminded that harsh words often get us nowhere. We also see Paul shifting to the role of father by instructing the Colossian church fathers to not provoke their children, ‘lest they become discouraged.’ That is, we need to be watchful not to ‘hold the reins too tight.’ We have authority over our children, but we must not lord it over them – this is how rebellious hearts are formed.

Think back to when you were a kid/teenager: when your parents were too restricting, it felt easy to want to rebel against them and do whatever you wanted. A wise father will choose carefully the manner in which they speak, discipline, and relate to their kids.

Practical Steps

1. Make it a point to encourage your child in at least two things this week – talents they have, things they’ve done well/right, etc. If we don’t, they might seek praise elsewhere.
2. For those of us without children/wives, we need to consider what type of husband/father we want to be. For some, this will mean reading books on parenting. For others, this will mean time spent just thinking through how our experiences with parents have been, what we would like to do the same, and what we need to do differently.