Hello Dad,
HIGH FIVE!!!
YOU DID IT!!
YOU MADE A BABY ALL BY YOURSELF…WAIT…yeah the mum played a part (don’t show her this though, this is just between us! ) but I , like you, know that you gave it more than she did; the millions of sperms vs one egg/many eggs but definitely not millions, right? So you deserve a pat on the back.
Now that that is out of the way, let me talk to you.
I hope you are aware that fatherhood starts at CONCEPTION and NOT at BIRTH therefore to do all that is required for your child and more starts then.
I will address this to 2 categories of People: Fathers and Would-be Fathers.
To the Men who are already Fathers,
As I said earlier, CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE! KEEP IT UP!
Being the father of 2 gorgeous girls and more, God willing, who I adore greatly so I kind of get where you are at or will be there soon if God wills.
Fatherhood is a privilege and a great honor, one that we dare not take for granted or go about casually. We have been granted this awesome opportunity to touch the future by having agents, our kids, to send into the future where we might not be.
From the moment we held them in our arms for the first time, we knew we wanted to do better by them – atleast I hope you did!
I want to bring to your attention a few things:
We are stewards:
Our children, like us, are not our own (1 Chronicles 29:14) but belong to God who created them fearfully and wonderfully (Psalms 139:14). We have them in our custody for a while and one day, we will stand before God to give an account.
So may we never forget that for the time they are in our care, that to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48) and we will have to give an account.
“Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.”Psalms 127: 3 (New Living Translation)
We are to point our children to Christ
As fathers, we are the first males our children get to know, so our children will view other males based on how they perceived our relationship with them.
By and large, every relationship they have will stem from their relationship with their parents, But the most important relationship of them all is their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is our duty to point them to the creator (Acts 4:12).
Try to the best of your ability not to put or be an impediment to their knowing of Christ (Mark 9:42).
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 (New International Version)
We are to place a high premium on the Marriage Institution
I understand that as much as we might all be fathers not all children were conceived or born within wedlock and this is in the past. We might be in a broken one right now but as much as our experience might testify to a different reality, the institution of Marriage is still God’s idea (Genesis 2:24).
Research after research shows that children who grow up in a two-parent home are more at an advantage than any other parent combination.
So in spite of how your relationship with your child’s mum went, we continue to emphasise on the necessity of marriage for the well being of the society in the long run.
“Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are His. And what does He want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.”
Malachi 2:15 (New Living Translation)
Fatherhood is hard work but definitely worth it
Like any other worth while endeavour, being a father is not easy as we’d wish it to be, why? because we are dealing with another human being; unique, special, and have a brain of their own.
There will definitely be those days that you feel like giving up and just walking away but i plead with you, DO NOT WALK AWAY or QUIT.
Just remember you are not alone on that journey of fatherhood. God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 2:19) to enable you to do it well, just do for His glory and He will give you all that you need.
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 (New Living Translation)
To the would-be Fathers,
I bet you look around and see guys playing with their kids and you wish for your own. Sometimes you look at dads walking with young ones who shout ‘daddy’ to them without a care in the world and you cannot wait for your turn – indeed you desire a noble thing.
My plea to you as you wait for your turn, is work on being a better man before you work on being a better dad.
You cannot give something you do not possess. I encourage you to pursue God with a sincere heart, so that when your child comes you are in a better position to point them to a God you are already familiar with.
Last but definitely not least, Your choice of a spouse will be the next most important choice you make after Christ, so pay attention to your choice. A good face and body will not raise your child, only her deep seated beliefs and her character will. So again I say, CHOOSE WISELY (James 1:5).
I sincerely wish and pray for all you fathers out there, That God will strengthen you for the task at hand. It is heavy and burdensome but we are encouraged that He who called us is faithful.
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (English Standard Version)
May the good Lord Keep you and Strengthen you.
Yours Truly,
Michael Oyugi.
Founder of Awaken Dads.