THEY’RE WATCHING YOU—A STORY OF IMPACT
Becoming a father was a tremendous joy and privilege. Every time I held one of our newborn children in my arms, I was overcome with emotion, my heart filled with overflowing love and ecstatic joy to have this precious baby as my own. What a blessing to be a father. At the same time, each time I became a father I was reminded of the awesome responsibility I had before God to raise them for him, to love and care for their needs, and demonstrate to them day in and day out what it means to live a life devoted to Christ—a life of commitment and selfless love—and to give my children my very own self—my presence, my “being there for them” day in and day out, making sure they knew they were wanted and dearly loved.
I was not, and am not, a perfect father. I have flaws and weaknesses. I’ve had to fight with my flesh for the last 51 years, and will have to till the day I die. During the course of those years, there were times I was overcome with discouragement about my own shortcomings, feeling at times like a failure. But by God’s grace I continued on, pressing forward, striving to be the man and the father God called me to be.
A few weeks ago, on my 70th birthday, my youngest son, who’s a few years from 40, wrote a birthday letter to me. This is an excerpt from that letter. It touched me deeply and reminded me once again—They’re watching you. You’re leaving a lasting impression.
Dad,
Thank you for raising me to know and love the Lord. Thank you for showing me what diligence, perseverance, and faithfulness look like—not just when things are easy, but through hardship and disappointment, and all the ordinary years of simply continuing to be faithful.
Thank you for loving Mom, for loving us kids, for praying for us, and for always striving to live faithfully for the Lord.
I still think about things like our trips to the Como Zoo and Taco Bell afterward, listening to stories about when you were young, or coming to you when I was scared in the middle of the night. Those are small things in one sense, but they helped give me a childhood in which I knew I was loved, safe, and wanted. That is an enormous gift.
Fathers, never lose sight of the lasting impact your life of quiet devotion, faithfulness, and “being there” for your children has on their lives. Never forget the importance of intentionally spending time with each child. They will remember it. They’ll remember how it felt to them, and how it made them feel. They will remember what your life taught.
I also treasure the many memories of each child, the special times we had together, things we did, and the joy of being in their company. They left a lasting impression on me as well.
May God encourage each of you fathers—Your ordinary, faithful life has great eternal significance.
Many of you may have similar feelings about your own father as my son expressed to me, but you’ve never taken the time to write and share those sentiments with your Dad. Let me encourage you, write them to him today. It will mean the world to him.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
