If you’re a dad, you know the joys and challenges of raising kids. The sleepless nights in infancy; the temper tantrums as toddlers; the sassy know-it-all phase in the elementary years; the independent and rebellious teenage years; and, all too suddenly, the empty nest. Parenting isn’t easy. It can even be painful sometimes. But it’s oh-so beautiful.
As dads, we get to hold our innocent, utterly dependent babies safely in our arms; we get to watch them take their first steps and say their first words; we get to teach them how to fish, play guitar, throw a football, kick a soccer ball, and drive a stick-shift car, all with the hope of seeing them grow up and—perhaps one day—exchange their own wedding vows and start their own families. And then, if God wills, you get to do it all over again as a grandfather.
In all that time, us dads are entrusted with an all-important responsibility: leading our precious kids to Christ. On this post-Father’s Day week, as we continue to thank God for the children he has gifted to us, may we be ignited with a renewed sense of pointing our kids to Christ no matter the life-stage they’re in. And don’t forget, it’s not just with words, but with loving actions, as well. So love them, don’t be too tough on them (Eph. 6:4), and show them the character of Christ.