Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
How To Be An AAA-Rated Father (Part 1)
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates (Psalm 127:3-5 NLT).
Each year parents with good intentions will search for books to improve their parenting skills. As parents we love our children and want them to have a good life and be happy. We purchase material things to make them happy. We take them on vacations, baseball practice, etc. to make them happy. All of these are good things, but they don’t really provide the child with what he or she really craves.
The Bible is the best book for raising children because, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The greatest need for our children is our unconditional love. The home must be a place where they are always accepted and appreciated. Go back and read The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. The
unconditional love that our Heavenly Father has for us is the same love we must have for our children. When we show our children love, we are showing them God. As fathers we need to model love at home. They need to see how we love them, the rest of the family, and all guests that enter our house. Our actions must reinforce our words.
Our children will soon be adults and their parenting skills will largely be based on what they observed from us. The gifts and trips will fade from memory. Our words will also fade. What remains is feelings. Hopefully, the feelings are of unconditional love, which will be passed on to the next generation.
Some fathers are the life of the party when out in public. They are considered a fun guy, always quick with a joke, but at home they are the opposite. I think it’s easy to love people at a distance, but when you’re with them all the time, little things can become annoying. If we are intentional to ensure that our words are words of life, wherever we are, then we are showing and teaching love to our family and our entire life is a powerful witness.
Back in school, if you received a grade of an A you knew that you did good. A lot of times we love our kids, but we don’t express it in a way they can understand it. Children understand love in three ways: affection, affirmation, and attention. These provide the basis for a AAA-rated father. Please check our more thoughts in Part 2.
1.
Affection. Children need our hugs and kisses. They need to feel our love.
2.
Affirmation. Children need to be affirmed. Build them up with words of love.
3.
Attention. Children need our attention. Our time is precious and when we give our time to our children, we are creating valuable memories for us and them. Be present when you are present – put down the smart phone.
Prayer: Thank you for the blessing of children. Be with us as we try to raise our children to love and honor you. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Choose Humility, Not Pride
Choose Humility, Not Pride “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:6 (NLT). Pride is perhaps the most serious of the seven deadly sins from Scripture. It is the most demonic because by its very nature it is a rejection of God. Pride is a gateway sin for many men because it is the root cause of other capital sins. Pride is terrible motivator and will lead to a terrible outcome. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” One of the most important... -
What Does God Want From You?
What Does God Want From You? “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6 NIV).Through our prayers and petitions we make it very clear what we want from God, but have you ever stopped to think what does God want from me? I had a friend once tell me that for years he viewed God as a “mystical vending machine.” Many Christians believe that if we give our tithes and offerings to our local church, then we have “done our part.” Moreover, we sometimes confuse God with Santa Claus and think that if we... -
Complete The Mission
Complete The Mission “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV).As men, we love projects. We love to build something and to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Most men enjoy working with their hands and tend not be comfortable speaking to a group of strangers, especially about their faith. We have many large tasks that we want to accomplish in life – pay off the mortgage, raise our children...