Pastor Leon Seaton

Dad's Responsibility

Moms and Dads are different. We look different, we act different and we have different strengths. God did this on purpose because a child needs balance in their lives. No one is to blame; it’s just the way things are.

Therefore, we might as well laugh at the humor!

When little Mary was about 18-months-old Her mother left her dad in charge of her and her four-old-brother. Mary had been in an accident and someone gave her a little ‘tea set’ as a get-well gift. It was one of her favorite toys.

Her Dad was in the living room engrossed in the evening news; her brother was playing nearby in the living room when the little girl brought her Dad a little cup of make-believe ‘tea,’ which was just plain water. After several cups of this tea and lots of praise from Dad for making such a yummy concoction, the little girl’s Mom came home. Her very proud Father made Mom wait in the living room to watch eighteen-month-old Mary bring him a cup of tea, because it was “just the cutest thing!”

Her Mom waited, and sure enough, here the girl came down the hall with a cup of tea for her Daddy. Mom watched Dad drink this special tea, then asked, “Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet?” (1)

“Yuck!” It’s not easy being a Dad.

One dad said he found out what is meant by the term “a spitting image” when he tried to feed cereal to his infant son. (2)

1. MONDAY FODDER, To subscribe http://family-safe-mail.com/magiclist/.

2. Imogene Fey in Robert Byrne and Teressa Skelton’s, Every Day Is Father’s Day (New York, NY: Ballantine, 1989), p. 26.

<>

Dads have many responsibilities. Although the lines of responsibilities have been blurred and overrun because of the many changes in society, the dad is primarily responsible for protecting the family from the storms of life.

1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” This refers to physical strength, not mental or emotional strength.

As dads we are responsible to teach our children how to deal with the problems of life. Generally we do this by allowing the child the opportunity to either succeed or fail. Let’s look at how Jesus did this with the disciples.

That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."  Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't You care if we drown?"  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Mark 4:35-41

Jesus had spent a busy day teaching the crowds. He taught on the power of God’s word. If we will be willing listeners and apply everything God has to teach us to our personal lives…if we will walk in complete obedience to God’s will, He will meet all of our needs. He also taught about the power of faith. He said that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can accomplish what needs to be done. After all, it is God that does the work, not the size of our faith. Faith is powerful and important, but faith in faith won’t accomplish much.

I have a lot of faith in Roberta, just like you have a lot of faith in your family. But we do have to maintain those relationships!

That evening they got into a boat and headed for the other shore. They pushed off for their destination. Jesus was weary from a day of teaching, so He grabbed a cushion and went to sleep. Jesus was functioning as a natural man, so He got tired just like you and I do. Jesus had dropped into a sound sleep where nothing bothers you… suddenly a squall arose. The Sea of Galilee is situated in a basin surrounded by mountains. As such, it is susceptible to sudden violent storms. Cool Mediterranean air is drawn down through the narrow mountain passes and clashes with the hot humid air lying over the lake.

The winds blew and the waves got bigger and after a few minutes the boat was nearly swamped.

Panicked, the disciples woke Him up. Remember, the wind was blowing, the boat was rocking and they were soaking wet! “Teacher,” they cried out, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

My guess is that all of us have experienced similar frustrations with God, so we won’t condemn them…

How did Jesus respond? First, He dealt with the problem: “Peace, be still!” He said to the storm.  Instantly things got calm. Then Jesus asked a powerful question… “Where is your faith?” We cannot stop the storms of life. They are natural, they are normal, and they are going to happen.

What Jesus was asking is, “Why the panic…why the fear?” God has promised to meet our every need. We just need to go to Him in faith and ask for help.

Obviously God can prevent problems – and I’m satisfied that all of us would be amazed if we knew how many problems we have not had, simply because God intervened. However He does allow things to happen that will build our faith.

I did this for our children. When it was time for them to become more independent, we asked them to drive to Oklahoma City and meet us at a restaurant. We let them buy their own cars and didn’t yell at them for not taking care of them. We just let them pay the bills.

This is not a perfect world. God intended for it to be, but it did not work out that way because Adam and Eve did not keep their end of the bargain. When they obeyed Satan rather than God, Satan became the god of this world; man was placed under a curse. However, God did not abandon mankind. Immediately God made plans for man’s redemption. God is always working things for your good. Even before you were saved, God was providing you with food, clothing and shelter. God says that He provides rain for saint and sinner alike.

When you experience a problem – and we all do – remember that God is going to be with you and it is His intention for you to not only survive, but to be stronger because of the experience.  

The Garden of Eden was God’s Plan A; He wanted all of humankind to enjoy a loving relationship with Him. When that plan fell through, God set things in motion for His Son, Jesus Christ, to come and redeem us from the curse of the law.

The next time you have plans that do not work out, remember that God understands exactly how you feel!

What happens during the storm? Someone has noted, “As long as we are in the boat with Jesus, “[nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)  In fact, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” (Philippians 1:21) and “to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Leonard Sweet wrote, “When we’re in the same boat with Jesus, it all comes out all right in the end.”

Moms and Dads, when our children are with us, we should always work in cooperation with God to make sure that our family is safe from harm. If you have read the news lately you know that this is not always true.

Dads, thank you for being who you are… Moms, thank you for covering our shortcomings, failures and mistakes.

And, God, thanks for making sure that “All thing work together for those that love the Lord!”

June 21, 2009