Daddies Are Important

17 Jun 2000 - Daddies Are Important
Daddies are important. In this world of “Murphy Browns” and Rosie O’Donnels daddies are still important. I am not saying this to the cheapening of motherhood. I am saying that daddies are as important as mommys.
Jonathan Lindvall has a theory. And he will be the first to say that it is just a theory. He grew up in church. He is a preacher’s son. He went to church 2 times on Sunday, once on Wednesday nights, and to revival services several weeks a year. He also attended “Christian Camps” in the summer. He grew up hearing people stand up and testify. Through his 30+ years of hearing these testimonies he can’t count the times he heard a person begin their testimony with, “ I left the church (God, Jesus, the Christian life) and did all these terrible things. But Through all that I knew my dear sweet mother was on her knees praying for me everyday. And after X number of years I returned.” And I like Jonathan Lindvall grew up going to church 3 or 4 times a week and all sorts of revival services and programs all through the year. I heard that testimony more times than I can remember. What Lindvall never hears and I never heard and the many people I have asked never heard was, “ I left the church. Lived a terrible life. But I always knew that my dear old daddy was on his knees praying for me everyday. And I returned.” Lindvall’s theory is: could it be that if the father had been involved and there everyday and on his knees praying the child would have never left in the first place? Therefore you never hear that testimony because the child stayed “in the faith” and never had to return because they never departed. Whether that is the case or not I think it shows the value of daddies.
Another case I know of that shows the importants of daddies in a child’s life is something I heard Chuck Colson tell about. He knew of a church that decided that, as a ministry to prisoners, they would provide Mother’s Day cards and postage for them. They had 400 cards ready for the men. With in minutes every card was taken and more were needed. The additional cards were purchased and given out.
The church decided it was only fair to do the same thing for Father’s Day. They purchased 500 cards. They didn’t want to fall short like they had before. The week before Father’s Day they went to the prison with the cards. Two men showed up wanting cards for their fathers.
When asked why they were so happy to send Mother’s Day cards they answered, “I don’t even know who my father is, or I haven’t seen or heard from him since I was a small child, or why would I send a card to a man that abused me.”
These men had good mothers. But their fathers were absent or bad men. So as wonderful it is to have a good mother it didn’t out weigh the negative effect of not having a father.
God created it for babies to be born to a man and a woman for a reason. Children need both. We hear so often today that men are unnecessary. I just want to say that daddies are important.