Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Power of a Father's Smile - #8295

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

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It was that time of the year when the grass grew so fast, it seemed like our lawn needed to be mowed like every other day. My then five-year-old son was following me, clipping around the rocks, and I smiled at him and kept mowing. He came up to me and he said, “Daddy, could you do that again please?” I said, “Do what?” He said, “Could you please smile at me again. It’s your smile that keeps me going.”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft, and with Father’s Day coming, this might be a good time to remind ourselves of the power of a father’s smile. God’s Word tells us dads: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 ). It’s as if God is saying, “Build them up, Dad, don’t tear them down.” The Bible tells how Jacob blessed each of his twelve sons, “giving each the blessing appropriate to him” (Genesis 49:28 ).

One evidence of how important a dad is to a daughter is the research that shows that the second greatest reason teenage girls become sexually active is the absence of a father’s love. She needs to know her dad loves and values her, and certainly a son does. His dad is the model of what it means to be a man. How many times does a boy say, “Daddy, watch me!” He’s desperate for your approval.

When it feels like there’s nothing you do that’s good enough for your father; when your dad tells you what you’re doing wrong but seldom what you’re doing right, when your dad doesn’t regularly let you know he loves you, there is a gaping daddy deficit that’s a ticking time bomb. Dad, let’s never forget it’s your smile that keeps them going.

Bible References: Ephesians 6:4 ; Genesis 49:28