Father Like the FatherНамуна

 Keep Promises

It felt good to be able to hit “send.”

I told my boss that I would get the report done by Friday. I’ve always taken pride in my ability to hit a deadline, no matter how difficult. My employers know they can trust my word. That reputation has served me well. At 10 p.m., it was much later than I had hoped, but it was finished.

I shut my laptop and took a moment to enjoy the rare silence. After hours of nonstop work, I could finally rest. As I looked around the house, a faint memory began to take shape and I soon realized I made another commitment that I had completely forgotten about.

I had been working from home that day, and at several points my son had asked me to take a break and play ball with him in the back yard. “In a minute,” I kept telling him.

But the day had run out of minutes. I had been so caught up in keeping my word at work that I forgot to keep it at home.

Deuteronomy 4:31 teaches that as a Father, God makes promises too. Yet He doesn’t forget. His word can be counted on. He is trustworthy to the core.

To father like the Father, we, too, must be promise keepers at work and at home. This is not an easy task, but men are not called to do what is easy. We are called to do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

Most of us instinctively understand this responsibility when it comes to our careers. The challenge is applying that same level of commitment to our job as husband and father.

When I tell my wife that I will be home by a certain time, I need to be home by that time. When I tell my son that I will play ball with him, I must play ball with him. My family must come to learn that my word can be trusted.

Later that night I entered my son’s room and found him fast asleep, but I knew what I needed to do. I turned on the lights and shouted, “Are you ready?”

Without a word he sprang out of his bed, grabbed his glove, and ran downstairs. For the next 20 minutes we played catch as bugs swirled around the backyard floodlights. When we were done, I tucked him in and apologized for making him wait so long.

“It’s okay dad”, he said “you came.”

Pray that God help you to be a father who keeps his word.

To learn more check out, Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood on FamilyLife.com.