Stu Weber states it this way: "There are two ways to recognize power. One is to see it at work. The other way is to measure what happens when it is gone. Either way, Dad is pretty potent. Present or absent. Positive or negative. The power of a father is incredible. . . . There isn’t much of anything in life children can’t face with Dad’s strong hand wrapped tightly around theirs."4
Another power that God has endowed us with is the power to create life. No man should plant his seed in a woman, impregnating her, if he is not willing to accept lifelong responsibility for the child he created. With the power to create comes accountability. God holds you responsible and accountable for the welfare of your family. Maturity in a man begins not with age but with the acceptance of that responsibility.
As fathers we have the power to impact generations of lives. Make sure your impact on the twenty-first century is a positive one.
Next Month: Fathers as Spiritual Leaders
Excerpted from Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson. To read Part I of this 4-part series on Christian Fathering: Rising to the Challenge of Christian Fatherhood.
Rick Johnson is the founder of Better Dads, a fathering skills program designed to equip men to be more engaged in the lives of their children. Rick develops and delivers father training workshops for businesses, churches, schools, and other organizations across the Northwest. He previously authored That's My Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character. Rick, his wife Suzanne, and their two children live in Gresham, Oregon.
Used with permission of Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
