THANKS DAD!

Masculinity is under assault today.  This is not news, however.  It’s been happening for a long time.  If men are not portrayed as bumbling idiots in the entertainment media, worthy only of being the butt of someone’s joke, then they are portrayed as angry and abusive jerks. 

Today, we are not sure what a man is any longer.  The media’s caricature of men has created an identity crises for males in in America.  It’s hard to know if we should follow our instincts and be men after the traditional role models or just flow with the new normal – which is the elimination of maleness by an infusion of femininity that is producing some new transgender hybrid that looks like a man but exhibits the sensitivities and nurturing instincts of a woman.

Exacerbated by the absence of fathers in the home, masculinity seems to be in short supply today among males who are now bearing children of their own.  As a consequence, not all but many men are trying to figure out the whole fathering thing for the very first time.   Amid the breakup of traditional homes and marriages, where men are not even sure on what days they are male and female, sincere dads are facing challenges unheard of by previous generations.   

So for all those young fathers blazing new trails for their families and for all those previous fathers who have gone before us,  let me say THANKS DADS for the following 4 qualities…

I. THANKS DADS FOR PROVIDING FOR YOUR FAMILIES

This is one of the most important things for fathers to do.  There is a sense of pride and purpose in the man’s heart when he can provide for his wife and children.  I Timothy 5:8 speaks to this by saying, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."  The Bible commends men who will work for their families.

Boyce Mouton, a minister in Carl Junction, MO, said these words about his grandfather, who, like many fathers who went before us, provided for his own:

"My grandfather, R.C. Myers, came from Kentucky. He married a Kansas girl and settled down in Indian territory, which later become Oklahoma.  They had 16 children. It never occurred to my grandfather than the government should take care of his family. That was his responsibility. He was a law officer before statehood, but became a sharecropper in order to feed his family. Their poverty did not discourage him from the personal pride of caring for his own.  He raised his children without the benefit of electricity or running water. He died without ever having a driver’s license. His children, nevertheless, grew up to be hard-working, patriotic, and devout. I am confident, that in spite of his poverty, he did a better job of providing for his own than the government."

While this attitude is not rare in the history of our nation even though it is certainly becoming scarcer today.  For all you dads out there working multiple jobs, jobs you dislike, busting your butts everyday for the sake of your families, I say THANK YOU!  You are awesome!

II. THANKS DADS FOR WANTING YOUR KIDS TO OUTDO YOU

Sometimes it seems like dads are pushing their children too hard.  Sometimes it seems like dads are being too critical of their kid’s performances.  Sometimes it seems like dads are never quite satisfied, wanting just a little more from their kids in a variety of endeavors. 

But you have to understand where this comes from!  It is an intense desire in the male heart for his kids to supersede anything he has accomplished.  All fathers, with any integrity at all, receive more joy from their children’s success than they do from their own.  At Some point after a father holds his child for the first time, his dreams melt away into the aspirations for his child to outdo and outperform everything that he has ever done or hoped to do.

The father’s heart is expressed in Psalm 112:2 when it says,  “His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”

 III. THANKS DADS FOR WANTING IT BETTER FOR YOUR KIDS THAN IT WAS FOR YOU

Many dads have secrets from their pasts – things they don’t like to talk about.  Many times those things are revealed only after father passes away and the stories are told from family members or the memorabilia is discovered when rummaging through the attic of the old home.

Over and over again we hear stories about kids finding out, only after their dad has died, how hard he had it when he was a kid.  Or they find the metals and decorations from a wartime era that dad never talked about.  What were those memories?  Why were they never discussed?  Why were they hidden?  Because somewhere in a dad’s heart is the overwhelming desire to protect his family from the harmful things of the past.  In short, many painful memories serve as motivators to create a better life for his family than he had when he was younger.

This is why men fight wars.  This is why they work themselves into early graves.  This is why they sometime seem detached and distant.  Like a lone sentinel standing guard against all dangerous both real and imagined, dangers from the past and from the present, dad enters his own world of sacrifice hoping that his family will not have to endure the same.

This paternal spirit prompted Joshua to declare, “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).”  He understood that his role as a father was to lead the way, fighting and giving his life if necessary, to make sure his kids would not have to endure the same abuse that he had suffered years before at the hands of his Egyptian task masters.

IV. THANKS DADS FOR BEING STRONG – EVEN WHEN YOU WERE FAKING IT!

Quoting the protégé of Moses again, Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

One father had a three-year-old daughter who was having trouble sleeping through the night. She would often wake up throughout the night and call out her father’s name. Each time, he took her back to bed, tucked her in and reminded her that Jesus was with her and he would keep her safe.   Several nights in a row, this process was repeated until he finally asked if she had prayed to Jesus to take away her fear and help her fall asleep. "Oh, yes," she informed her father.  And then she went on to say, "And He told me to come and get you!"

I have discovered that fathers are just as nervous and afraid as anyone else in their families.  Honestly, being cool under fire and not getting overly worries about things is often a rouge to save their families from further fear and worry.  Dads will take it upon their shoulders and shield their families, if possible, from any burden of distress and anxiety.

Mark Twain said, "When I was a boy of 14 my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to the 21, I was astonished at how much the old man learned in 7 years."  I can relate with that.  Can you?

And so for all the fathers who have gone before me and all the fathers still alive, both young and old, I join the chorus of others who see and appreciate all you do in saying THANK YOU!