Do you ever feel lost? How many of you have ever seen those movies where someone has lost their bearings out at sea and they then find themselves completely isolated and alone? If you have ever experienced that, you know the shock, the fear, and the danger involved. I can’t imagine what a person goes through in those conditions and what it must be like to finally find land or be rescued out of that scenario. Why do I say all that? Glad you asked! If you are a parent then I just described what many of you feel every day when the strong winds of parenting adversity cause you to drift further and further out to sea in the realm of dealing with your kids. If you are like me and have four kids under the age of 13, then you get my drift! (no pun intended). Parenting is dangerous, risky business, and oftentimes a battle of the fittest! I was telling my wife today that we are always outnumbered, four against two. Really though it is six of us all together learning and growing. That is the right posture and perspective that I must have. We are six people unified in a goal and purpose to know Christ.

Dads, do you feel like you are currently succeeding as an effective parent? What have you learned in your journey? Where do you feel like you are failing? Where are you advancing and what have you done to get there? Are you struggling with being a passive dad, disengaged emotionally from your kids? Maybe you didn’t have a father that fathered you fully. Most of us didn’t have fully engaged fathers. The truth is, most of our dads fell way short and we do as well. That’s life, imperfect life. The good news is, there is hope and there is help. If you feel lost as a parent in this season that you are in, you are not alone. I want to say to you, you can do it! You can learn how to effectively teach, train, and discipline your children. We don’t have to settle for less than God’s best for us, no matter what our background is. God is a loving and caring Father, and He is also serious about our welfare and our wholeness. He cares as a loving Father for how we live our lives and how we raise our kids. His name and fame are at stake if we fail as parents to teach and train our kids who God really is. God is never lost and He knows exactly what He is doing.

I have a strong desire in my life and in this season that I am in, to learn all I can learn about being a great dad. I want to encourage you wherever you find yourself right now. There is a lighthouse in the middle of the storm. There is hope beyond your own inability to manage your house well if that’s where you find yourself. We have tools and resources if only we would give that a chance, to learn and relearn. For some of you, you need a fresh revelation of how Father God sees you right now, in order to see your children the way He sees them. He loves your kids more than you do, He wants the best for them. Do you really believe that? I am not talking about the American Dream, or just for them to have a safe and comfortable life. God wants them to really know Him, no matter what the cost. To know Christ and Him crucified, and the power of His resurrection. I want my kids to live wholeheartedly for Jesus, for the Kingdom of God. I can only lead them to the water source, they must learn to drink themselves of the living water He provides.