Dad

Read this earlier today and it spoke to me so clearly. 

Dad.

Outside of God, “Dad” may be the most powerful 3 letter word in the English language. Want to take guys well below periscope depth in your next conversation? Ask this question: “In just a few words, how would you describe your dad?”

It’s why men cry when they watch the scene from Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner’s character asks his dad to “have a catch,” or men pretend there’s something in their eye when pitcher Jimmy Morris hears his dad apologize for missing so many Little League games at the end of The Rookie.

We don’t need old baseball movies to tell us: God hard wired in our DNA a craving for a dad. Solomon says, “the glory of children is their fathers.” Glory means weight or heaviness. Dad carries weight - and not just in his girth. He shoulders influence - for good or ill.

Our culture gasps under the weight of dad’s absence. Today 24 million kids will grow up without the influence of their biological dad. Some will gain the benefit of a godly step-father, but most will lash out against this invisible burden. Feel the heaviness of these stats about fatherless kids:

• 5x more likely to live in poverty
• Represent 85% of children with behavioral problems
• Have a much higher chance of drug use, repeating grades, suicide, and incarceration

The moment your baby cries in this unfamiliar world, you become an uncommon influence. One day someone will ask your adult kids, “In just a few words, describe your dad?” What words do you want them to say about you?