We Only Get One Shot at This Thing Called Fatherhood

After a quick trip to Shipley’s for a chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles (it was for Bethany, of course), we headed off to her preschool for my first Donuts with Dad. I must admit that I was excited about any excuse to hang out with my daughter, and the opportunity to eat donuts was just icing on the cake. As I sat in Bethany’s classroom, I scanned the room and couldn’t help but wonder what they were thinking. They being the one little boy and the one little girl who were sitting at their tables without their father.

“Where are they?” I thought to myself. “Don’t they know how important this is to these kids!” I don’t know where these dads were. Maybe they were at work. Maybe they were out of town. Maybe they just weren’t around at all.

My heart broke for those precious little kids. I wanted their daddy’s to be there. I wanted them to be there to make some wonderful memories with their kids… to spend some time with their little ones… to be present on this special day. I wanted them to be there because we only get one shot at this. We only get one shot at this thing called fatherhood. We only get one chance to do it right. There just aren’t any mulligans in this game of fatherhood…there aren’t any do-over’s. We have to make it count the first time.

Some of you are thinking to yourself, “But I haven’t been there. I haven’t made it count. I’ve missed out on so much, and I can never get that back.” No matter what kind of dad you’ve been to this point, you can start making it count today. So, how do you do that?

1. Forget it!
If you’ve missed out on your child’s life, I encourage you to do what the apostle Paul did and simply forget it. Paul had certainly done some things he wasn’t proud of, but he didn’t let that get him down. In Philippians 3:11, Paul says that he now “forgets what is behind and strains towards what is ahead…” Paul wasn’t focused on the past, and as a father, you can’t either. Ask God to help you remember the past less and less, and pray that He will give you a fresh start with your child today.

2. Schedule it!
Dads, if we’re going to make it happen, we have to schedule it. All too often we schedule time with our family around our work and other commitments. Instead, we have to plan everything around our families. Schedule outings with your kids. Put them on your calendar, and do whatever you need to do to follow through and keep those appointments.

3. Treasure it!
Soak it up and treasure those times with your little ones. I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Luke 2:19 when she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What joy Jesus brought to her, and what joy our kids should bring to us. Treasure the time you have with them, and make it count today!