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.
