TLP 64: Dads, Are We Worth Celebrating?

Are you a dad worth celebrating? Join AMBrewster today as he tries to figure out what makes a mom or a dad deserving of true admiration.

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Transcript

Introduction

​Happy Almost Father’s Day!

You know, I love celebrating. But I hate celebrating things that aren’t worth it. A two-year old who successfully uses the toilet may be entitled to an M&M, but your average seventeen year old is not going to get candy from me after going potty.

What does this have to do with Father’s Day (and parents in general)?

Well, You’re a parent. So am I. But whether or not we deserve Father’s Day or Mother’s Day is a completely different matter.

But more on that in a minute.

Have you LSRed lately? To LSR means to Listen and Learn, Subscribe and Share, Rate and Review. Subscribing, Rating, and Reviewing only have to be done once, and Listening, Learning, and Sharing can be done every Tuesday and Friday when we post our new episodes. If you’d like to Subscribe, Rate, and Review, all you have to do is search for “Truth Love Parent” in iTunes, click on our show and have at it.
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So, are you a parent who’s worthy of a celebration?

Topic

“But, I’m the parent!” you say. “Think of everything I’ve ever done for my child. They better celebrate!”

Can we be a little more honest for a moment?

1. This first one’s primarily for the dads. It takes relatively little effort to become a biological father. And, admittedly, it’s kinda fun. So, I’m not impressed that we’re sperm donors. In fact, this act is so easy that it’s daily taken for granted.  Every day countless children are massacred because a baby was created accidentally. So, we’re biological fathers . . . big deal.
2. I’m also not amazed that we put food on the table, a roof over their heads, or clothes on their backs. Let me admit that I am speaking specifically with the typical American parent in mind when I say that providing the basic necessities of life isn’t so momentous that it’s worthy of its own special day. It’s called doing our jobs. Please also remember that this is coming from someone who (according to the US government) makes enough money to qualify me for the title “in poverty.” So, if I a man who makes so little money they government puts me in the poverty level can provide all the basic needs of my kids, I don’t think that deserves a celebration.
3. How about this, we’re the “men of the house; we’re the parent” These phrases are extremely subjective, but basically they means that when we speak, people move. It doesn’t take into consideration the way we speak or what we say, it just sums up the fact that we’re the boss and the people in our homes do what we say. They have another day to celebrate these people. It’s called “Hug a Dictator Day.” Okay, I’m kidding. They don’t have that day.

But seriously, is any of this deserving of national notice.

I’d rather attend a kindergarten grade graduation (which I find fundamentally unbeneficial) than celebrate or be celebrated just because I managed to procreate, feed my kids, or keep them under my thumb. 

And even if I do those things well, I don’t want to have a special day for merely doing what’s “expected” of me by a society that has no idea what “The World’s Best Dad” should even look like.

So, let’s consider a Father or Mother Worth Celebrating

I propose that we are not worthy of the joys of Father’s Day cards, special lunches, or a “World’s Best Dad” shirts unless the following things are part of our daily dadness (or momness):

1. Introducing our children to their Spiritual Father. We talked about this last time as we discussed Evangelism Parenting. You see, being a biological father or mother is merely a shadow of the relationship God wants to have with our kids. If I bring them into this world, but cut them off from the one relationship that will actually guarantee their success in this life and the next, my act of fathering was cruel. My biggest priority needs to be speaking and living the gospel.
2. Providing the truth that causes material possessions to have value. There can be no true safety, comfort, or pleasure in this life if they’re experienced outside God’s truth. If I give my children bread, but do not teach them to eat it all to the glory of God, I’ve failed them. If I provide a house, but do not build its foundation on God’s Word, the “protection” my home provides becomes a lie. If I give them clothes, but do not introduce them to the lifestyle their Savior commands them to put on, I have merely dressed up a corpse.
3. Leading according to God’s plan, not our own. This has to do with The 5th Way to Parent in episodes 26-27. If my precepts grow out of my annoyances or aggravations, I’m teaching my children to avoid certain behaviors so as not to upset dad. But when I make God’s will the basis of my edicts, I’m giving my kids an eternal worldview with which to function perfectly in all relationships of life. This also affects the way I lead. How I speak becomes as important as what I say. The typical, hard, gruff dad is unbiblical. By the way, when I say “lead,” please realize that the best leaders are First Followers like we discussed in episode 7.

Conclusion

Let’s admit it, none of us really deserve a Father’s or Mother’s Day if we aren’t passionately doing the things listed above. Sure, some people may argue that “there’s nothing wrong with taking dad out to lunch on Father’s Day – even if he is a bum.” And I suppose that that may be par for the course in a country where we frequently celebrate the mediocre and parade the base. But I don’t want that for me. I hope you don’t want that for you. And I don’t believe God does either.

I hope you’re looking forward to our next three episodes. Blogger and speaker, Natasha Crain will be chatting with me about the best children’s devotionals, her book, and your parenting questions. Do not miss that three part series starting next time.

And, like I mentioned earlier, don’t forget to LSR. You can start by subscribing on iTunes.

I love being a parent, but I want to be a parent of whom my God is proud. Those are the best parents. Those parents are worth celebrating.

​Go be that parent.