5 Sacred Duties of every Dad

“Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14

I love being a Dad.

It’s by far the hardest job I’ve ever had, but despite the diapers, tantrums, spills, stains, arguments, and backtalk, I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I love my kids more than I can describe in words, and I recognize that they are a gift from God. They bring me joy each new day, and raising them is one of the most sacred duties that could ever be entrusted to me.

Because I love them, I want what’s best for them, but I’m painfully aware of my own flaws and inadequacies. I desperately want to get fatherhood right, but we live in a world with so much temptation and chaos that it’s hard to know where to start.

Thankfully, God knew how tough parenthood would be so he gave us a roadmap to follow. The five principles below are taken straight from the Bible and I’m convinced that if we will apply these to our own lives, our families will thrive! These principles could apply to Moms too, but I’m focusing this one specifically to my fellow Dads.

5 sacred duties of every dad:

1. Live a life worth imitating.

Every Dad (including me) wants our word to be the final word. We want our kids to behave simply, “Because I said so!”

The problem is that our kids are watching our actions much more closely than they’re listening to our words. Watching my toddler try to put on my deodorant or my nine-year-old practicing shaving with my razor reminds me that my kids are going to want to do what I’m doing (whether it’s good or bad). That raises the bar for me!

Make sure your words and your actions are lining up and choose to live a life of integrity. Your kids will base their ideas of integrity on your example, so eliminate any habits from your life you wouldn’t want your children to have someday. For more on this, read my post on How to be the Biggest influence in your kids’ lives.

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1