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...
-
Judge Others Or Listen?
Judge Others Or Listen? “According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done” (John 7:51 GNT). Those close to me will often tell me that I am naïve. I tend to be optimistic and take people at their word. I am not cynical. However, each day I am shocked by the level of hatred that I see among people. Hatred can be manifested in many ways such as physical violence, racism, oppression, etc. Hatred is born as a thought and grows into an action. During the thought process a judgment is made to justify... -
Man Up: Use Lent to Prepare Your Hearts for Easter
Man Up: Use Lent to Prepare Your Hearts for Easter I love Easter egg hunts and chocolate rabbits, but there is so much more to Easter. One critical part of Easter is Lent. Lent is the period of 40 weekdays before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday, and Sundays are not counted. Lent is often observed with an element of self-denial. I encourage men to lead your family by intentionally observing Lent which will be rewarding experience. Below are some steps to consider on your Lenten journey.Reflect with your Family If I don't use Lent as a time of personal... -
Unanswered Prayers
Unanswered Prayers “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 KJV). In 1990 Garth Brooks wrote a popular country song entitled, “Unanswered Prayers.” The song described a time when he ran into a high-school girlfriend while he was with his wife. In a recent interview Brooks admits that during the first two years of his marriage he still had strong feelings for this other woman and felt that she was the one that he should had married. However, as he ran into his old flame, he realized that this girl was not the “angel he remembered...