THE COMMITMENT OF A FATHER



As a law-enforcement officer
I've seen firsthand the deep hurt
And devastation that fatherlessness
Brings in a child's life
The commitment of a father

Our prisons are full of men and women
Who lived recklessly after being abandoned
By their fathers, wounded by the men
Who should have loved them the most.

Many now follow the same pattern
Of irresponsibility that their fathers did
While so many mothers have sacrificed
To help their children survive, they were never
Intended to carry the weight alone

We thank God for them
But research is proving that a child
Also desperately needs a daddy
There's no way around this fact
The commitment of a father

As you know, earlier this year, my family endured
The tragic loss of our 9-year-old daughter, Emily
Her death forced me to realize that not only had
I not taken advantage of the priceless time I had with her
But that I did not truly understand how crucial
My role was as a father to her and our son, Dylan

Since her passing, I've asked God to show me
Through His Word how to be the father that I need to be
I now believe that God desires for every father
To courageously step up and do whatever it takes
To be involved in the lives of his children

But more than just being there or providing for them,
He’s to walk with them through their lives and be a visual
Representation of the character of God, their father in heaven
A father should love his children and seek to win their hearts
He should protect them, discipline them and teach them about God

He should model how to walk with integrity
And treat others with respect and should call out
His children to become responsible men and women
Who live their lives for what matters in eternity
Some men will hear this and mock it or ignore it.

But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God
For the position of influence He has given you.
You can't fall asleep at the wheel only to wake up one day
And realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value
But the souls of your children do.

Some men will hear this and agree with it
But have no resolve to live it out.
Instead, they will live for themselves
And waste the opportunity to leave a
Godly legacy for the next generation

But there are some men who, regardless of the mistakes
We’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers
Did not do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest
Of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children
To do the same, and, whenever possible, to love and mentor others

Who have no father in their lives but
Who desperately need help and direction
We are inviting any man whose heart
Is willing and courageous to join us in this resolution
In my home, the decision has already been made

You don't have to ask who will guide my family,
Because by God's grace, I will
You don't have to ask who will
Teach my son to follow Christ, because I will
Who will accept the responsibility

Of providing and protecting my family? I will
Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive
Patterns in my family's history? I will
Who will pray for and bless my children to boldly pursue
Whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will.

I accept this responsibility, and it is my privilege
To embrace it. I want the favor of God
And His blessing on my home.
Any good man does.
So where are you, men of courage?
Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord?
It's time to rise up and answer the call
That God has given to you and to say,
"I will. I will. I will.

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