Dads have an essential role in the family. This is often taken for granted. They carry a heavy responsibility on their shoulders; their job is to provide for and protect their families. Two simple things that carry a lot of weight.
It is imperative to show dads how important their role is and encourage them to continue their good work. Here are some ways to encourage the dads in your life today.
Encouragement for Dad on Father’s Day
1. Encourage their faith
Fathers provide their families with guidance, protection and leadership. They are a role model for their children. Dads set the standard for what a father and husband look like in their future relationships. Men of faith have the opportunity to teach their children the right fear of the Lord and how to repent when we sin. They show what fatherly love looks like, teaching forgiveness and how to be a faithful follower of Christ.
To do these things, he must first seek the Lord. Reading his Bible and praying will give Dad the wisdom and knowledge to lead the family.
We can encourage these efforts and congratulate him for his progress in this area. The stronger fathers’ relationship with the Lord, the better they can lead their families. “The Lord establishes the steps of him who delights in him.” (Psalm 37:23)
“For I have chosen him to rule his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord in doing what is right and just so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he promised him.” (Genesis 18:19)
God has chosen each father for his unique children, and they have a wonderful opportunity to teach and guide their children in the faith. Our job is to support dads in their efforts to lead the family. We want to raise them.
Most importantly, we can pray fervently for our husbands, our fathers, and all dads. They have a difficult, but extremely important job. We need fathers who are committed and aware of the importance of their role within the family.
2. Recognize their efforts
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Dads want the best for their family. They work hard, serve their families and protect them. These are important tasks and require a lot of responsibility. We don’t always thank them for their efforts.
Dads often give up their personal desires to be there for the family. They help children participate in their activities, coach them in their sports, help them with their homework, etc. Dads provide correction when needed, adventure when called for, and comfort when tough times arrive.
Are we reassuring our fathers and thanking them for their continued efforts? Although fathers tend to be tough on the outside, they can be soft on the inside. Who doesn’t like to be appreciated and valued? A little recognition can go a long way and keep Dad focused and motivated.
Sometimes fathers are called upon to make difficult decisions that children will not like. When a father defends his daughter and imposes limits on her dress, fighting for her modesty, his decision will be unfavorable. Dads are taking the unpopular route to protect and defend their children. They fight daily battles for long-term benefits. If they teach their children modesty, purity, self-control, and many other virtues as children, we hope that these characteristics will continue into adulthood.
God created fathers with the skills they need to raise their children. No one is better at teaching a girl her worth than her father. Dads are the perfect people to show their sons how to be a man. A father’s work is never done. Even when his children are grown, he will always be a resource and a source of wisdom.
3. Acknowledge their burden
Dads carry a significant burden. Men are responsible for leading their families, providing them with protection and sustenance. Taken seriously, this imposes a lot of work and weight on them. Weight? Yes, the weight. They are directly responsible for these efforts before God.
My husband walks around the house every evening to make sure all the doors are locked. When we travel, my husband always makes sure his people are safe. I call him security patrol, but I’m grateful he takes this job seriously. I take this service to the family for granted.
Biblical fathers should lead their families spiritually, teaching them the good news of the gospel and taking the family to church. To do this effectively, he must seek a right relationship with the Lord, humbling himself before the ultimate authority.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Constantly seeking the Lord and reading the Bible gives dads the tools to better fulfill their obligations and make wise decisions for themselves and their families. However, seeking the Lord, raising children in the ways of our faith, and protecting the family come in addition to working a full-time job and being a good husband. Hence a significant load. All of these efforts are important and require time and energy.
Fathers have a big impact on the health of their children. As Meg Meeker says in her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, “Fathers, more than anyone, set the course for a daughter’s life. Your daughter needs the best of you: your strength, your courage, your intelligence, and your fearlessness. She needs your empathy, your assertiveness, and your self-confidence. She needs you.” I believe these characteristics are also necessary for raising boys.
Pouring yourself into their families daily and being responsible for guiding and directing them in the Lord is a heavy weight to carry.
4. Remind them of their great impact on children
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Moms and dads are both essential to the health of the family, but dad plays a vital role as an anchor. The children admire their father; they are a hero in their eyes. They provide stability and strength so that family members can confidently go out into the world.
Psychology Today states: “Fathers play an important role in a child’s development and can affect their social skills, academic performance, and emotional regulation. »
Fathers provide a safe place for their wives and children to grow up within the family. When fathers work hard every day to communicate, play, correct, love, discipline, and be there for their children, it pays off. This gives children confidence and security.
Being a dad isn’t easy, but rest assured, the effort is worth it. A father’s loving discipline will help teach a child when he has strayed from guardrails. When a father honors and cherishes his wife, he sets the standard for a healthy marriage.
A biblical father leads his family spiritually, teaches them the Bible, prays for them, and blesses them. In her book “The Hiding Room” by Corrie Ten Boom, she recounts how her father, Casper, led a daily Bible study for his family and any guests who were at their home. These lessons gave Corrie and her sister biblical knowledge that they relied on when they were sent to a concentration camp during World War II. Not only did this comfort them, but they were also a light to other prisoners as they read the Bible and shared the gospel. I am sure that when Casper taught his daughters every day, he had no way of knowing the extent of his teachings.
We don’t know what challenges our child will face as an adult. A father’s spiritual leadership can help him overcome anything.
5. Encourage the relationship
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When my children were little, as my husband walked through the door just before dinner time, my three daughters jumped up from whatever they were doing and ran to greet him. He usually picked them up and hugged them. Almost every evening, they brought this enthusiasm into their greeting. No matter what happened during the workday, my husband always welcomed their enthusiasm.
Now that we are entering preadolescence and adolescence, the greetings are less zealous but still present. My daughters have great affection for their father. There have been years of accumulated capital. Now that we are entering the teenage phase, I am grateful for all the effort and energy my husband has devoted to our daughters. They know he is there for them.
Dads can teach their children so much. We need to encourage them to devote time and energy to relationships with their children, even if it means taking on additional responsibilities. I am very supportive when my husband wants to take one of our daughters on a daddy-daughter trip or activity. I know how precious this time is with my daughters and I want their relationship to be strong.
When fathers spend time with their children, it shows them that they have value. He shows his daughters how men should treat women. Dads teach their sons how to respect women and what it means to be a man.
We want to promote this time that dads spend with their children so that they can have fun together, be adventurous, read books, have in-depth conversations and learn things together. The relationship with the father is very important for the overall health of children.
Dad, we need you! We need you to be committed to your family, leading it spiritually, providing for it, and protecting it. You are the shepherd of your flock.
A strong family is led by a strong father. We know that this work is tireless, thankless and challenging. The reward is worth it! Your long-term relationships will pay off when you devote yourself to your wife and children. Even if the reward is not in this life, we still need you.
“Do not conform yourself to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the will of God – his good and acceptable and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
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