Dads who love Jesus.

Dads that Love Jesus.

I was thinking about my dad a few days ago and how much I miss him being around. I miss his scruffy beard. I miss the way he smells after a day working on a roof. I miss the way we would play together and laugh. I miss just looking into his brown eyes and telling him how much I love him. As I was reflecting on my dad and his life, I started thinking about the qualities that make up a great dad, especially ones who love Jesus. Now that I am a dad, I admit there is an insecure feeling of not knowing if I am hitting the mark at raising my kids; encouraging them and loving them well. When I think about my dad, I’m convinced he was the rockstar of dads and someone I want to emulate. Below is a list of what I believe made him so great in my eyes. I hope this helps all the dads out there trying to do their best to love and raise kids to love and serve Jesus.

Prayer: I have to start here because I witnessed this firsthand. My dad was a man of prayer. He prayed a lot. There were times I would hear him praying in the other room, outside as we were working in the yard or in his bedroom on his knees. He was a praying man. Not only that, he prayed over me and my brothers numerous times throughout the week and day. He prayed at bedtime and at the big moments in our lives. He prayed a lot. Dads who love Jesus a lot, pray a lot. Why? Well, being a dad is a big task and can be daunting. Prayer reminds me that I am not alone in this life. Prayer aligns my heart to God's. By being his child, I can find the strength to be the dad God wants me to be for my kids.

Play: He was a praying man, but he was also a playing man. Dad played with us a lot. Baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hide-and-seek, and funny games he made up with us. I loved the car game, where we would sit on his belly and he’d give us a ride on the bed as long as we gave him kisses on his cheeks. Kisses were the fuel to getting the car to drive. It was awesome. We would get tossed all over the bed and fall on the floor only to get back up and do it all over again. Dads who love Jesus make time to play with their kids. While I know that providing financially is a top responsibility for a father, I doubt that when our kids get old they will say, "Hey Dad, thanks for paying the water bill.” More likely they’ll say, "Hey Dad, thanks for playing with me and making up stupid, funny games to show you loved me. I won't ever forget it."

Worship: Dad sang. He could belt out songs with the best of them. He did not have a good voice and he could care less. My dad loved to sing praises and worship songs to God. As a family, we sang a lot together, in the car, at home, church, bedtime and holidays. Dad had his favorite worship medley that always touched his heart and he would sing them out. Dads who love Jesus know how to worship and sing to God and model this to their kids.

Wacky songs: It is fun to write about how spiritual my dad was because he was very much that way. However, he was also a goofball. He would make up the most random songs and medleys for different things in life. At one point, he had a song called "Going downtown to see Mr. Brown." Basically, if you were driving somewhere and running an errand with him, and if you asked him, “Where are we going?” He would belt out..."We're going downtown to see Mr Brown'', over and over again. Then, he would just laugh as we would get more annoyed with him not telling us where we were going. It was like a big secret where we were going even if it was just to the tire store or to get groceries. The point though is that dads who love Jesus do not take themselves so seriously. They might create wacky fun songs to sing to their kids or make up dance routines and act like goofballs. Bottom line, they’re simply willing to cut loose and have fun. In fact, the older the kids get, the more ridiculous and obnoxious this can become. Stay wacky dads.

That's Dad's job: Naturally, some people think there are just some jobs for dads only. Things like taking out the garbage, lawn work, washing the car, and so on. However, dads who love Jesus look at their family and ask themselves how they can serve them. Here's a question to always ask: “How can I help?” Most of the time that will go outside of the stereotypical jobs that one can tend to think about for dads. Changing diapers? Do it dad. Bath time? Do it dad. Cooking dinner? Do it dad. Handling bedtime. Do it dad. All of these things are ways to show both your kids and spouse (if married) that there is no job that you aren’t willing to do to love and serve those you love.

Humility: Dads who love Jesus walk in and display humility. The big lesson that every dad must know and remember is that mistakes are going to happen along the way. I make them all the time. Sometimes I am short with my kids and sometimes I have little patience. It takes a great amount of humility to walk with Jesus closely and also know that as a dad I will not always make the best and right decisions.

Strong, but not feared. Dads who love Jesus are strong. God made us with the ability to carry a heavy load. He gave us broad shoulders and the ability to handle big issues. But, there's a significant difference between being strong and being feared. Being feared is to be intimidating; to be in charge and to lead with no compassion or care. Dads who love Jesus find their strength in Jesus Christ and know that when they are weak, they are actually strong. When dads are strong they once again model sacrificial living by handling all that is thrown at them in life, but are secure in the source of their strength.

When Christ’s love flows through a Jesus loving dad, fear melts and grace abounds.

So, dads, keep leading the way.

You were made for this.