A Father's Touch

He will turn the hearts of the fathers the sons and the hearts of the sons to the fathers, before I come and strike the earth with a curse.          Malachi 4:6

There is nothing like a father's touch in our lives.  A man who takes the time and energy to teach his offspring the simple joys of life is a priceless gem today.  It takes patience to  spend time with a small child and to train him on the joys of living.  Even in all the busyness of life, a father who has vision and places his desires aside to  spend time with his young son will be rewarded far more than the effort he put into his child.

A man who teaches his son to be a man and shows his child how to fish, play ball, tie his shoes or to swim is a good father.  A father should teach his child how to spend and save money; how to treat others and most importantly, the greatest thing a father can teach his child is to love God and to know that God loves him.

So many young men are living with an identity crisis, not knowing that they have a Creator whose image they are made in.  Yes, they look like their earthly father, but they also look like their Heavenly Father who many a young man have no idea of.  Where are the fathers to teach by word or demonstration?  

There was a song, "The Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin,  where a father had a son who wanted to be just like him. The son wanted to spend time with his father, but dad kept putting the child off every time the boy asked him when was he coming home, his dad's reply was, "well get together then, you know we'll have a good time then."  This continued throughout the boys life until dad became old and wanted to see and spend time with his son, to which the son put him off with the exact words that his dad had spoken to him all of his life.  Sadly, the father realized that his son had indeed become just like him. 

You dad, may had made the same mistake, but if the blood still runs warm in your body, you can fix it.  You will  have to be lovingly patient, asking God to help you in the process, but it is well worth the wait.  God is in the restoring business and a bridge over troubled waters and He desires to bridge the gap between you and your offspring; let Him.  It is time to restore the years that have been stolen from your sons and daughters.  Turn your heart to your children Dad and God will bring about reconciliation of the generations, because the young men today need a father's touch.