A few months ago, I asked a very pointed question on my personal Facebook page, and asked for people to finish this sentence…
“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A DAD CAN DO IS?…”
The responses I received were GOLD, and so I wanted to share them with you today. I found that of all the responses, there seemed to be three main categories, thus representing three main areas that dads really need to “get it right” in their home – Personal, Relational, & Spiritual.
I hope you are challenged by these thoughts as much as I was.
The most important thing a dad can do is…
PERSONAL
“Spend time with his kids. It makes a world of difference.” – Katarina
“Be present.” – Sarah
“Be there for his children.” – DeAnn
“Be there.” – Paul
“Communicate.” – Ed
“Teach his children a good work ethic.” – Cori
“Listen to his children. Nothing replaces time and attention.” – Melissa
“Listen with eye contact.” – Sherrilyn
RELATIONAL
“Respect and love his children’s mom.” – Erica
“Love his wife.” – Bill
“Love their mother and lead by example.” – Charity
“Listen, and know when to be a daddy and when to be a father.” – Angela
“Love his children.” – Tim
“Love the Lord, and love his wife and family. Be real and transparent.” – Heather
SPIRITUAL
“Lead his children to the Lord.” – Ryan
“Model Christ in all he does.” – John
“Be a good role model for his children.” – Sherril
“Love God openly and radically (Mark 12:30).” – Chuck
“Lead by godly example by spending time and showing love to them in all he does.” – Travis
“Be faithful.” – Mary
“Be filled with the Spirit.” – John
“Teach them to love God and love others thereby encompassing the entirety of the law.” – David
“Lead his family to the Lord.” – Dion & Viviana
“Model Christ.” – Jeremy
“Stay in church with his family.” – Claire
“Love God with all his heart. All the other things derive from that.” – Damaris
“Have faith always and he will show his children that they can get through anything!” – Jennifer
Wow. These are so simple, yet so profound!
I guess you could say that it all boils down to what we’re doing in our relationship with them (personal), our relationship with others (relational), and our relationship with God (spiritual).
If you’re a dad, which area stands out to you as your greatest strength? And which area stands out to you as your greatest weakness that you need to work on the most?
