{"id":3780,"date":"2020-06-18T17:13:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T17:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/2020\/06\/18\/fathers-and-sons\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T07:06:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:06:34","slug":"fathers-and-sons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/fathers-and-sons\/","title":{"rendered":"Fathers and Sons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Why do sons need to be especially close to their fathers?<\/p>\n

\n My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways. <\/span> -Proverbs 23:26\n<\/p>\n

Heart. That\u2019s what we\u2019re after as fathers. As they mature, we want our boys to give us their hearts so we can help mold them for God. More than obedience, submission or even respect, we want their hearts. Don\u2019t get me wrong: a respectful attitude is essential in the father-son connection, but this functions primarily as only a part of the whole\u2014the bigger picture is about the heart. Our job is to shape their will without breaking their spirit. So we must always seek to get to their hearts. But how? How can fathers reach their sons\u2019 hearts and why are we uniquely positioned to do so? <\/p>\n

First things first, as we\u2019ve already seen in an earlier lesson, when our boys see us as having a genuine, daily, personal relationship with a loving Father in heaven, it helps them to be inspired by His love and to be motivated to come to know Him. It all starts here, between us and God, our heavenly father. Then, the more deeply we love our boys, the more it will help them come to see the greatness of the love of God, who has made us loving fathers. <\/p>\n

As they grow, we need to share with our sons about our own journey to manhood\u2014both the highs and the lows. Because we share masculinity with them, they can learn from us unique lessons about being a boy and becoming a man. They can learn from us as we share honestly with them about the things we went through as young men, much of which may be similar to what they are having to deal with now. This allows us to define true masculinity for them, rather than the view of manhood presented by the world which is often skewed and false. They can see in us an example of how to become a godly, righteous, masculine man. <\/p>\n

We must meet the boy where his interests lie. Each of my four children were different and I had to find ways to connect with them on their level. Many boys are drawn toward sports and athletics. Certainly all boys are not necessarily gifted in this way\u2014and we must celebrate whatever gifts God has given them\u2014but for those that are we would be wise to use this as a great opportunity for connection. In sports, we can help them in the following ways: <\/p>\n