Encouragement for Dads

             Good morning!  I hope all you Dads had a great day on Sunday.  I’m sure your families treated you like a king.  I hope you know how important you are!

             Strangely our society has relegated fatherhood to the status of non-essential.   According to TV, Dad’s are sorta like a toaster or some other small appliance, “It’s nice if you have one, but you can probably get along just fine without them.”  Other than pay the bills and make stupid comments on most of the sitcoms, their role is secondary to the mom who really runs the show.  Now, I’m not downplaying the role of a godly mom, but I’m a little outraged by that characterization.  And to be honest, the statistics tell a different story.  Look at these figures from the Virginia Fatherhood Initiative:

                                        Do we really need fathers?

             63%      of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.

             71%      of teenage pregnancies come from fatherless homes.

             85%      of all youths in prison grew up in fatherless homes.

             71%      of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.

             75%      of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers are fatherless.

             90%      of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.

              The spiritual influence of a Dad committed to Christ, is even more amazing.  A well known Christian magazine recently completed a 25 year study.  This study proved that if both Mom and Dad attended church regularly and were committed believers, 72% of the time their children would remain faithful and would follow in their parent’s footsteps.  If the Dad attended church regularly and the Mom did not, the percentage dropped to 55%.  This was a significant decrease, but still over half would become believers.  But if only Mom attended regularly and Dad played golf, or went fishing or worked or stayed home then only 15% remained faithful and continued to attend church.  Evidently the Father’s example was an extremely crucial part of the equation for family success.

             The Scripture, particularly the book of Acts, seems to bear this out.  It is amazing how many times when a man becomes a believer, his entire household follows him in that decision.  Look for instance at the Philippians jailor (Acts 16:31)They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

             So Dads, don’t let anyone downplay your role.  Step up to the plate and be a major influence in the life of your children and grandchildren.

             Have a great week!
             Pastor Barry
 


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