Fathers: How to Make a House a Home

As Father’s Day approaches, many of us will be rewarded with dinners, cards, and gifts. For those of you men that are reading this, please stay tuned with how to build a great home. For any women reading this, please read and pray for those men in your life. I write this not as a perfect father but as one who is continually trying to be more like Jesus and less like Jason.

Everyone who lives in a house knows that it is not a home until there is something greater invested in it. You can have a beautiful and expensive house that looks great on the outside but unless the house is built with more than sticks and stones . . . you simply live in a house.

A good strong foundation starts with a foundation built on faith. If you are going to have anything to survive in this world, you need faith. Social media will disappoint you. People won't live up to your expectations. Your worldviews will greatly impact how you build your home. This is where your faith comes into play. There is a spirit of fear that many people live in. They know so many “don’ts” that any faith that can guide them to freedom is intimidating. If you are going to build a home, start with faith.

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Walls (family members) are the second part when building a home. Once a foundation is established, it is imperative to build your home with family members in mind. Does your family feel safe at home? Everyone needs their family whether blood-related or those who are “like family.”

A roof is (His grace) essential to a home. We all need grace and lots and lots of it. Fathers, do we even acknowledge the grace that we receive from Jesus? Do we dispense grace to others when needed? This does not mean that we become welcome mats for everyone and every situation that we encounter. When grace is rooted in love, we will be able (with God’s help) to discern how to handle situations in our home.

Loves must surround our homes and this is something that all who live and visit our homes should encounter. If love is not the primary agenda for those of us who are parents, then what exactly are we pouring into others? If any parts of the home are missing, the walls will crumble. And if one wall is neglected, it will crumble and allow unwanted visitors in. Will you build a home on good or evil?

The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. (Exodus 7:21; New International Version)

The world is full of fear. While we must be prepared for anything as Christians and as fathers, we cannot allow fear to paralyze us. Love empowers others. Faith gives us hope when we cannot see the light in the darkness.

What are you building . . . TODAY?