ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR CHILDREN
by Dr. Harold Sala ~ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mark 8:36 NKJV
If a skeptic should ask me for proof that the Bible is a supernatural book, among the reasons that I should proffer is this one, unmistakable fact: this book never glossed over human failure but revealed in accurate detail the mistakes and derelictions of men, telling it exactly as it was.
In some nations, a Sunday is set aside this month to honor fathers usually in June. Naturally, dads think this is a great idea. Sometimes, however, it is a travesty, because the failure of fathers today is an enormous social blight. The emasculation of men began almost a generation ago, when the feminist movement began to tell us that parenting is a non-gender issue, that you are much better off to be single than to be in a marriage which is less than ideal.
A great many men, however, can’t blame the feminists for their failures. They have only themselves to blame. They haven’t been there because they were climbing the corporate ladder, striving to prove their self-worth or to make enough to satisfy the thinking that enough money will bring the good life. Their kids don’t agree. The son of a prominent executive described his dad as a Phi Beta Kappa, a Rhodes Scholar and a company president who flunked marriage, fatherhood, friendship and fun.”
Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 NKJV ). But today I think he would say, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the company presidency and loses his family in the process?”
Is success—the kind which brings membership in the club along with the car and the status—really worth the cost?
The Wall Street Journal in conjunction with the Gallup Organization surveyed the heads of 780 major corporations, focusing on the work habits and attitudes, and how men coped with the pressures in relationship to their marriages and their children. The survey was based on interviews with 360 CEOs among the 1300 largest corporations. It included 100 of the Fortune 500 companies—276 heads of medium-size companies, and 198 independent owners of small businesses.”
And how are men coping with success? Here’s the bottom line: “The survey delivers an unmistakable verdict: home and family come second for the typical corporate executive.
“Among the specific findings: chief executives typically work sixty to seventy hours a week, travel six to ten days a month and give up many of their weekends for business meetings.”
Having made it to the top, two out of every three executives said they were convinced the pressures were greater and the cost to their family more severe than when they were middle managers.
One company president quipped, “I gave my family everything in the world but myself.”
“Dear Dad, please give us yourself, your time, and your undivided attention. Please show us the way by being there, by listening when we need to talk, by giving us guidance when we stray, by being God’s man so we can understand who we are and who God is.”
“Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” asked one little boy. And his father told him. Five minutes later, the boy appeared with his piggy bank and said, “Daddy, here’s all my money—just half of what you make in an hour. Now can I have you for just 30 minutes?”
The whole experience of being a dad and father goes by so quickly that you look back and ask, “Where was I when my son was growing up?” There are no second chances, no retakes—only memories. The best of intentions will never suffice for missed opportunities. If God has made you a dad, rise to the challenge. You’ll never regret it. ~ Resource reading: Proverbs 3
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