“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A FATHER” SERIES – ” A Father’s Influence” by Dave Green
A few years ago, I attended a church and had the pleasure of meeting a unique man. He was unique because of his inner joy, excitement, and genuine love for people. Truly, if you looked up the word, “Sanguine” in the dictionary you would see a bright shining smiling picture of him wildly waving at you. That is Dave Green. Pastor Dave Green as he was known.
Dave and his wife not only served as a life group leaders for me but provided great encouragement, prayer, and direction during a difficult relationship and time in my life. The way he gushed over his wife like they were newlyweds despite their many years of marriage and his great love and excitement for his children gave me a longing and hope for a loving relationship in my life. Today, he and his wife remain friends and are great examples to me.
I asked Dave to write a short story about his experience as a father and son and to offer encouragement to those reading. May you be blessed, as I am by Dave’s words.
A Father’s Influence
I agree with Billy Graham who said, “A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”
 What is the most important factor involved in being a good father? Is it more important to instruct them well or to live a life worth imitating?
Doing both of these the best we humanly fathers can, is important. There are many tips and suggestions for what to do and what not to do to be a good father.
Saying that I truly believe that there are 2 foundation blocks of being a good father, which makes everything else we do to raise them well have the biggest impact.
- Being in a close relationship with Christ.
- Intentionally being in a great relationship with our children.
These 2 things are going to give us the greatest influence on our children. As human fathers, we are going to miss the mark sometimes and make mistakes. Having Christ in our lives and having the Holy Spirit lead and guide us will help us make better decisions, react to situations correctly, and help us act lovingly. What if we fathers could consistently act out that 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love?
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 ESV
4. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5. or rude. It does not insist on its way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6. it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
No matter how hard we try to be a good example, lay down clear expectations, compliment, and encourage others, our influence will fall short if we are not in a good relationship. Great relationships take intentional effort.
I did not grow up with an example of any of these things. My biological father left us when I was a baby. I met him later in life and he chose to not be in a relationship (or even in contact) with me and my siblings. And I had 2 extremely abusive stepdads.
Praise be to God that He entered my life when I was a teenager. By His Grace, I made up my mind that I would be in a good relationship with my 3 boys. That does not mean that I was perfect in any way, shape, or form. Other than our heavenly father, that is not possible. And I don’t believe that it is intended to be perfect. Part of what makes those relationships strong is adversity. And getting through them together.
My boys are all adults now. Like me, they are not perfect. However, they are all successful men who are in a close relationship with God and still in a great relationship with me and my wife. I am still able to influence them, but they are also having a tremendous influence on me.
Please contact Dave and experience what I have:
David Green
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Take care,
Charlotte
Dream Madly, Pursue Wildly, Trust Completely tm
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