What does a Dad need this Sunday?

Being a Father is an immense privilege.

When I first held a floppy little bundle of warm child in my hands I was overwhelmed with both joy and cluelessness. As I stood there staring into my little girl’s squishy crying face, wondering what to do next, it dawned on me that this little bundle of noise has been given to me by God. And therein lies the privilege. 

God entrusts life to parents—it’s ours to care for and love and grow. It’s a gift. And each child is a privilege. Just ask those without children or who have lost children and they will underline this reality all the more. 

As you may know, Nicky and I have four children—Michelle, Megan, Brianna and Brodie. They are all different but I am dad to each of them and it is a great privilege. 

What’s it like being a dad?

Well I found this poem a few years back that perhaps captures it…..

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.

I would love to tell you that I am all those things in all those ways but my children would perhaps tell you a different story. 

I can be a grumpy, joyless, impatient goose.

Every day is another opportunity to learn how to be a dad. And I have become very good at learning from failures. All the family research points to the reality that fathers are crucially important to the wellbeing of children and families. You just can’t do life well without Dad. 

This of course points to a deeper, more profound reality. You can’t do life well without a heavenly Father. I learnt a lot about doing life from my Father. I learn daily how to do life from my heavenly Father. But I also see daily a whole lot of dads who are trying their hardest but missing the mark because they don’t know their Heavenly Father. 

Do you know a dad like that? One who needs a place to stand, a clear identity, direction in life, hope for the future, or assurance that they are doing life well? There is no better gift you could give them this Sunday than to get them onto Share Life so they can be introduced to Jesus. 

And if you are that dad—one who knows that there must be more to life—listen up to Carl Matthei this Sunday. Jesus wants you to live wholeheartedly for him first—not your wife first or your kids first but him first—and when you do that, let me assure you, every member of your family will be eternally grateful and God will be praised. 

If you want to chat about being a Dad and following your Heavenly Father, please be in touch. Always glad to share a walk or a coffee—and like many of you I am doing a lot of both virtually! 

Happy Fathers Day!