Conduit Dads!

Fathers, do not frustrate your children with no win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master. Ephesians 6:4 The Message

Father’s Day is approaching, and even though it doesn’t come with the hype of Mother’s Day, it is none the less a day set aside to celebrate our Dads. A small boy once said, “Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day only you don’t spend as much on the gift.”

Fathers are different than Moms, but they certainly are no less valuable to the family. Our family is fortunate to have three valuable Dads. Sometimes it seems that they just don’t get as much attention, and when they do, it’s not as heartfelt. The story is told of two children who came home one day begging their Mom to let them bring home the class hamster, Davie, for the summer break. As children do, they both agreed to do everything that was needed to take care of Davie, and after much begging, the Mom agreed with the stipulation that if they didn’t uphold their promise, she would find Davie a new home.

A couple of weeks passed with Mom constantly reminding them of their duties, but to no avail. So, Mom called around and found Davie a new home. She went to the den to inform the kids of her decision but to her surprise, they didn’t seem upset. The daughter said, “Is it because he eats too much?” They could maybe find a way to help him with that. Mom explained that it wasn’t the eating so much as it was the mess and the smell. And then there was all the extra work cleaning up.

The children nodded in agreement and Mom went to get Davie and his cage. As she walked through the den, the children began shouting, “What are you doing with Davie?” The Mom explained the above conversation and their agreement. The children looked at each other and said, “No, not Davie, we thought you said Daddy!!”

The image of Dads has certainly changed since the days of Ward Cleaver, Mike Brady, and Howard Cunningham. Dads are typically the ones who fix broken stuff, solve certain logical problems, and defend their family. In our day, Daddy was also the ultimate punishment machine.

Dads are also the conduit to their children and families. Webster defines conduit as a means of transmitting or distributing. In regard to people and relationships being a conduit person is one who positively connects people or places or distributes something of value to others.

Every child needs the conduit that a father briings to a family. Fathers bring many things to the family, but one of the most important is affirmation. The words, “I love you, I am proud of you, I believe in you, and I’ll always be here for you” are so important to a child, a teen, and even an adult.

The father also brings the conduit of time and availability. Children covet time with their Dads, and it is through this time that lessons are learned, and relationships strengthened. If Dads want to be a hero to their children, then they must work at being the father their children need. If Dads are not available, children will end up picking the wrong person as their hero. Dads must be there for their children.

Finally, a Dad is a conduit of love and spirituality. Every child needs a Father’s love and every Father should speak words of love to them. A Father’s love includes a hug, holding their child’s hand, and saying the words, “I love you”. Fathers are also responsible for teaching their chldren about Jesus and His love for them. Jesus knew the importance of this. Mark says, He took the children up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.

As we honor our Fathers let’s remember the words of Mark Twain, When I was 14 years old, my Dad was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I turned 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in only 7 years! Thanks to all our Fathers for being conduits of affirmation, time and availability, and love and spirituality.

Thank you, Father, for giving us Dads! Happy Father’s Day!