Really, They Are His

Luke 15:11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

Fatherhood is so much more than biological, and so many times less than logical.

As the father of a newborn, the dreams you have for your child often exceed what is possible, but that doesn't stop you from dreaming. You just can't help yourself. Unfortunately, as time goes by, and dreams become reality, we often find we can't help our children either.

They have to learn to help themselves, and most often they do that by watching you as a father, seeing how you help yourself.

Are you a self-made man? I sure hope not. Here's ALL I hope your children see: that you are a God-made man.

There's going to come a time in your child's life when their life and their future will be completely on the line, and unless they've seen you (dad) on your knees they'll have no way of knowing where life begins, and they'll take what the world offers instead.

We already know the world is an emotional meat-grinder, bent on destruction. Despite our dreams, and our hopes, we have no way of protecting our children when they are beyond our care - but God.

Fortunately, God's love for our children exceeds even our own, because, really, they are His.

-Pastor Bill