We all love a good story, especially when the story is about someone we know. I was recently introduced to a company that uses AI to create personalized books or comic books about individuals that can be given as gifts. The process is simple: you answer a series of questions, and AI generates a story in either book or comic-book format about that person. The stories can be serious or humorous depending on how you answer the prompts.
This week I received a promotion from that company inviting me to create a book or comic book as Father’s Day approaches. The hook for the promotion read: “Make Dad the main character because no one deserves it more.” As Father’s Day approaches, a humorous or meaningful book about dad could certainly make a thoughtful gift. We should honor fathers (and mothers) as Scripture commands (Ex. 20:12).
However, I do want to remind us that fatherhood is not about dad being the main character in our life story. Being a good father means recognizing that there is only one perfect Father, and it is not me or you. The goal of fatherhood is not pointing our children to ourselves as the main character, but pointing them to God.
The Bible is the story of God, His creation, humanity’s rebellion, and God’s plan of redemption and restoration through Jesus Christ. The greatest way a father can lead his children is to help them see that he is not the main character in the story of life—God is. The world was not created for us; we were created for God. We were created to know God and enjoy Him forever.
Dads, you play a vital role in helping your children understand that they were created for far more than simply living the American dream. We were created to know God, enjoy God, and make Him known.
Moses understood this well when he wrote in Deuteronomy 6 that we are to teach our children to love God completely (Deut. 6:4–5). He goes on to explain that we teach our children to love God by making Him the center of our lives. For God to be the focus of our hearts (Deut. 6:6), He must also be the consistent theme of our conversations (Deut. 6:7–9).
God becomes the main character in our homes when He is part of our everyday lives—while sitting around the house with our children, throwing a ball in the yard, playing with dolls on the floor, tucking them into bed at night, or gathering around the breakfast table in the morning. He is the main character when our children are young and when they are grown. God is the main character in our lives when He is the priority in our families.
Dads, God must be our highest priority above every other enjoyment if He is to be the main character in our lives and in our families. Moses wanted the fathers of Israel to make their lives about God, not themselves. Dads, do not make it about you. Make God the main character in your family.
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