“I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me.” — 1 Corinthians 4:14-16 (NKJV)
No Greater Legacy
My son, Nathan, loves football. He played four years of high school football and four years of faith-based college football, and he loved the competition and the life lessons he learned.
Then about two years after he graduated from college, he decided he wanted to pass on some of his life lessons from football to other young men, so he became a defensive coach with one of our local high school teams. And he loved every minute of it. He especially loved the mentoring and leadership he provided to his players, many of whom needed instruction about life more than they did about football. So day in and day out, he taught them the technical details, the X’s and the O’s of playing defense, but more importantly, he poured his life into their lives, imparting to them everything they were willing to learn about becoming better young men.
And then he quit.
I asked him why, after eight years, he would quit coaching a game he loved so much. I will never forget the simple yet profound answer he gave me. He said, “Dad, I love football, but I love my boys more.” You see, my son is the father of two boys, ages 5 and 3, who are growing up in the blink of an eye right in front of him. So he had to choose who would get his time, his energy and his life, and he chose wisely.
Fatherlessness is the great scourge and malady of our age, and it will only end as men step up and do what God has called them to do. If you’re a husband and/or a father, surrender your life to Jesus, then pour that life into your wife and kids in every way imaginable. You will discover, as my son also will, that there is no greater legacy.
— Richard Strange
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