Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 01/21/2011)

Where Is The Father Of My Youth?

Colossians 3:21 (Amplified Bible)

²¹Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]

Colossians 3:21 (New International Version, ©2010)

²¹ Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

            This week was an important week for a young person I know.  This young person is the president of the organization that they are a part of and had a role to play in an event sponsored by their organization.  This young person was so proud of not just herself but her entire group and wanted desperately to share this with their fathers, (biological father and blended dad).  Well much to her disappointment neither of them came to support.  This young person came home after receiving a text from one about being under the weather at the time of the event, with no apology and the other a text in reference to misunderstood time from the other.  Although this young person is eighteen, they still were deeply hurt and distraught, discouraged and broken in spirit.  This young person articulated that they knew one did not show for personal reasons and the other they had no clue how things were interrupted the way they were.  At home the tears and the hurt settled in and the feelings of not being a priority again came to surface.  This is just an example of the frustration that our young people are going through because us as parents, it is intense; it is a shame when fathers have to be reminded on public sites that they have children, or that is the only way that they can connect with them. It is hurtful when they find out the same way that their dad is taking care of someone else’s child with little regard for them, or at least that is how they see it.
            I have two friends that I admire.  One is a military member and is raising his boys, and is an active, participant in his daughters’ lives.  He said he is in refusal for any of his children to suffer just because he and their mothers are not together any more.  He told me he drove his boys out of state to spend time with their mom and turned around and drove back to ensure he was there to see his girls, open their Christmas gifts. What a powerful message he sent by his actions!  I have another friend who is a widower and he has two children, and anytime we talk or text he is at his children’s reading events on Tuesday nights and are at school plays, church events or ensuring hair is getting done, or spending time with them.  He places his life on hold to ensure that they are where they need to be and he is there to support them.  My Pastor said something in Bible study the other night that was so profound, he said I might fail at Pastoring but I will not fail at being a father to his three children and a husband to his wife.  He said his prayer is that he would succeed at all three, but the first two make no mistake he would succeed at.  I have seen far too many fathers place their children on the back burner, to live their lives.  I have also seen even more dads sacrifice their children’s well-being, safety, health and peace of mind and spirit because they had aught with the mother of their children.  They make the child suffer because they have not become mature enough to take care of business, for the sake of their children.  Fathers are supposed to be the guide for their children. The Bible says in Psalms 127:3-5, “³ Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. ⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”  How can Fathers feel so indifferent about their role, their place and the needs of their children? Nothing should keep Fathers from being just that. No one can take that from you, you can only neglect or surrender that role.
            It is time to stand up, Man up and be who God ordained you to be, and who you help create yourself to be, which is a Father, ready or not, the child or children are here and they need you to get up, stand up and fight for them, be there with them.  Children need their Father’s there to encourage them in their endeavors and to guide them into their future. To love them through their pain and to show them who God is and what it is for a man to lead the way to Christ. Just because you decide on a new wife that does not mean you dismiss a life; especially not when it is the life of your child or children. Your children need you and are depending on you to be who you say you are their Father, their DAD!