For Dads out there

I am struck by my own laziness and the amount of grace and sweat it requires to establish habits that reflect a meaningful and delightful way of life. This may sound contradictory since it is questionable whether a delightful way of life includes sweat! Nevertheless, I think it is demonstrable.

First, when I was in Jr. High the most delightful season of basketball was at the same time the most demanding and excruciating. Coach Flick would run us to a near death experience in practic. . . .but we were good! Oh were we good! And we loved being good!

Second, take premarital sex as a moral example. It takes sweat and self-denial to say no to premarital intimacy. However, who has the more delightful marriage? or love life in general? It is the one who waited. In fact, it is the one who continues to restrict his sexual activity to his wife that has the more delightful love life.

Third, take fasting. If I fast breakfast and lunch and you don't, who will enjoy supper more?

Or let us reverse the argument. Suppose you have the highest of standards for good music or even for a good future wife. Your idealism itself "delights not in lesser things". How can I profane my life now in view of the reward I will receive? For we Christians we have an extra measure of help in this way: the Holy Spirit who is our deposit of joy until the day we are raised from the dead; our deposit of joy while we bear our cross in expectation of that day. Thus the early Christian with delight cast themselves to the damn beasts of Rome's coliseum.

Fathers, it takes sweat to be a good father and a good husband. Suck it up you big babies! Fix this in your mind, that you do not admire yourself as a stupid, lazy, fartslipping idiot of a man. Instead, you admire yourself as strong in character, persevering in trial, responsible with all things, and respectful to all manner of men. Who admires an idiot? Who admires laziness? Who admires a man that speaks harshly to his wife? It may be easy, it may be funny. But it is despicable and nothing your sons will admire (the Lord forgive you if they imitate it).

"Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee life!" Eph 5