Strong Convictions Lead to Smart Decisions

Dads’ survival guide: proclaiming — our beliefs

Dads are driving everywhere.

Summertime is vacation time. So, Dads are loading up the family truckster. And hitting the road. All of us. At once. Journeying together to the beaches. Mountains. Lake houses. Campgrounds.

Compared to years ago, highway driving is a breeze. Construction crews work nights. Jersey barriers free up lanes. And no more epic toll booth backups. A bane of my childhood.

Advanced auto tech makes a Dad’s job even simpler. EZpass. Cruise control. And sophisticated GPS Nav systems. Directing us through unfamiliar territory. To avoid traffic jams. Speed traps. Even rerouting Dads when we mess up. (More often than we’re willing to admit.)

All of this auto tech gets Dads one step closer to the ultimate summer vacation dream…Autopilot. Yep, just hang in the driver’s seat and let the car do the driving. Now, that’s a vacation.

If only Autopilot was so close in other aspects of Dadhood. Like parenting. Because the only thing more challenging than navigating summer traffic is navigating our kids through childhood.

Making Choices

Truth is, our kids will eventually be on autopilot. Whether they’re prepared or not. We call that independence. Autonomy. Self-sufficiency.

Thus, our parenting role centers on teaching offspring to operate on their own. Which includes making choices. Lots of choices. Wise choices, we hope.

Early on, Dads and Moms make decisions for their kids. Health and safety reasons. Lack of knowledge. Or experience. While schooling them on decision-making basics. Input gathering. Evaluation criteria. Weighing options. Tradeoffs. Assessing consequences. Short-term. And long.

Then they need to deal with the outcomes. Live with their choices. No matter how good or bad.

Parents understand that wise decision-making is less about convenience. Comfort. Or whatever feels good at the time. Because feelings are situational. Circumstantial. Fickle. And change like the wind.

Sure, we can go with our gut. Wing it, on occasion. But relying on our feelings can get one into trouble. Succumbing to our impulses. Temptations. Addictions. Which is neither healthy. Nor safe.

Foundations to Choose

In today’s world, feelings rule. “You be you.” Express yourself. Individuality. Freedom to pursue whatever feels best. Well…as long as you’re aligned with current trends. Fads. Or craze of the moment. At least you be judged. Shamed. Bullied. Or ostracized.

Making choices to please friends, peers or the social media mob is a no-win exercise. Which can be painful. And potentially damaging.

Truth is, wise choices rely on principles. Not feelings or fads. Decisions are rooted in core beliefs. Values we stand for. Convictions we’re unwilling to compromise.

“If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything.”

Question is, what are the beliefs, principles, and convictions our kids rely on to make their choices? Are these the values we as Dads are teaching them? Or what they’re picking up on their own? From schoolmates. Or popular influencers.

If there’s ever a time for Dads to be intentional, this is it. Ensuring our children are fully versed on the family foundations. Whatever they may be. Making choices based on what we as a family believe. What we hold dear. The rock we stand on.

Firm Foundation

There are countless belief systems or worldviews to choose from.

Individualism. The power of self-fulfillment. Discovering who we are. Then chasing our own personal dreams. Opportunism. Being resourceful. Hard-working. A Darwinian kill-or-be-killed view. Adapting to life as it happens. And taking what we can.

Karma. What goes around, comes around. The Eastern philosophies. Spirituality. The Occult. Or ‘None’, popular with younger generations. A Be Happy, Go-with-the-flow perspective.

And of course, there’s God. Who’s definitely out of favor in today’s culture. Labeled as old-fashioned. Overly strict. Insufficiently inclusive.

Truth is, God created the world with a specific design. An order to things. And consequences. If we choose to ignore that order. Which makes following Him inconvenient. Uncomfortable. And therefore, out of favor.

Yet, God is available to anyone. He welcomes us all. Regardless of one’s background. Shortcomings. Mistakes. Or failures. God is a loving Father. Merciful. Accepting us. Ministering to us. Watching over us. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” proclaims the Lord in the Book of Hebrews. We are never alone.

Following God’s principles is not easy. But it’s sound. Enabling wise choices. Even in the toughest times.

Here are three foundations:

• Serve God and others first. The Golden Rule. Think of others before yourself.
• Be grateful. Thankful for all God has given us. Our family. Health. Wealth. Work. The perfect counterweight for life’s travails.
• Forgive. Be merciful. Move on. Don’t let vengeance over past injustices limit us from enjoying life’s abundance.

Sound familiar? This is fatherhood in a nutshell. We always put our kids first. Forgive their mistakes. And remain forever grateful for the joy they bring to our lives. Because God is the ultimate Father, teaching these fundamentals is straightforward for Dads.

Autopilot may be right around the corner for some of our kids. Life on their own, a long way off for others. Dads can prepare them for the journey by reinforcing our family’s Golden Rules. Core beliefs. A guiding light for our children. In a dark, oftentimes cruel world.

And no matter what the outcomes, Dads will always be there for our kids. To tell them, “Well done. I’m proud of you.”

Go, Dads. Go.