UNCOMMEN: Dads 2Намуна

You Get Out What You Put In

James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

We all know that guy who doles out pearls of wisdom to his children but never takes his advice as a parent. He falls under the “Do as I say, not as I do” category of a man. I’ll let you in on a little not-so-secret secret: those type of men don’t get much respect once the children grow up. 

Abraham Lincoln gets quoted from saying so many things, it’s hard to know which one he said and which ones he didn’t say. He's on record saying, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

You may be able to tell your children to do the right thing when they are young, but as they get older, they want to see you do the right thing also. That’s where phoning it in breaks down and you become that dad that people use as an example of what not to be. Do you want that?

James tells us not only to be hearers of God’s word but rather also doers of it as well. Your children learn by example and look to you to be that example in their childhood and beyond. The important thing about that statement is if you don’t provide them a good example, they will find that elsewhere. If you’ve been tasked with being a dad or a step-dad, then own that role and the responsibilities that go with it. If you didn’t have a good role model growing up, learn to be a good one. 

If you’re not praying about your role as a dad to your children, I can tell you that is the problem. When you are praying to God about being a reflection of Jesus to them, He starts to show you what you have to change to be more like Christ. When you begin to change your speech, behavior, practices, you start to show them what a Christ-like dad looks like in everyday life. 

Uncommen Questions:

What do you do to become a better dad? Do you pray for wisdom? Do you pray that God shows you how to grow as a Godly dad to your children?

Do your children look at you as an example of what to be? Or what not to be?

Uncommen Challenge:

I challenge you to spend time praying about your role as a dad. Spend time learning and speaking to other Godly dads about being the best dad you can be. Then apply all of what you learn to every moment you spend with your children. Don’t just sound like a good dad…be a good dad.

Scripture Verse:
James 1:22