Encouragement for imperfect dads ~ By Greg Laurie

By Greg Laurie Posted: June 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 It is my opinion that a man who honors the vows he made to his wife and who stands by his children and grandchildren is the unsung hero of America today. You can take most of the social ills in our culture and find a link directly back to the absence of a father in the home. In the past 30 years, there has been a 550-percent increase in violent crime, a 400-percent increase in illegitimate births, a 200-percent increase in teenage pregnancy and a 300-percent increase in teenage suicide. And experts have traced all these things to the breakdown of the family and, specifically, the absence of a father. Now, I am not a perfect father, but I want to be the husband, father and grandfather God wants me to be. In the New Testament story of the prodigal son, we find an example of a great father, of what a dad ought to be. This father had two sons whom he loved and provided for. But one day, the younger son demanded his share of the estate. The custom was that the inheritance would be divided among the heirs when the father died, but this son was basically saying, "Dad, I am tired of waiting for you to die. I want my money now." What a brash young man. How disrespectful that was. How it must have broken his father's heart. All this son cared about was himself. So the father divided the inheritance between both boys. And upon receiving his, the younger son left home and ultimately squandered it all. Basically, this dad allowed his son to make his decisions and, yes, even face the repercussions of them. You see, we can only take our children so far – and not any further than we ourselves have come. Our children are watching us. They will walk in our footsteps. They will emulate our behavior. And hopefully as fathers, we are walking the right way. The Bible says, "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it" (Proverbs 22:6 NLT). So start now. That is our responsibility as parents. [CONTINUE READING]

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