Be The Dad Today

One of the best characteristics of childhood that makes kids so fantastic is their constant appetite for Adventure!

Unlike adults, kids don’t wake up in the morning wondering what work they will get done today, but what Adventure awaits them! If adults don’t help create constructive adventure for them, they will create their own! (And it may not be healthy, safe or constructive!) Why do you think kids make tents out of blankets or forts out of empty boxes? Why do boys turn sticks into swords and girls turn dolls into princes destined to come and rescue them?

Why do kids always ask,

• “Where are we going today?”
• “When is our next trip?”
• “What are we going to do today?”

They want Adventure! Dads who CREATE a SENSE of ADVENTURE for their kids are dads who make every day count – and the best news is that you don’t have to go camping or to a baseball game or an amusement park to go on an Adventure with your kids! While these “Big Adventures” may end up being the highlight of the year, it is the “little adventures” that will set you apart from other dads and be the highlights of your relationship with your kid(s).

HEAR ME: ANY DAD can drop some money and take his kid(s) on a Big Adventure, but only the Best Dads make time for the little daily adventures, and those dads have the closest relationships with their kids. Why?

Here is a SECRET not enough dads learn: Strong relationships are built by lots of short fun times, not rare big times.

It’s not hard to be adventurous with your kids! It’s more of an attitude than what you actually do… kids aren’t looking at the size of the event or the cost, they are only focused on the fact that it is with you, your excitement level, and your enthusiasm! Your tone of voice and leadership is more important than any price tag!

You can have:

• Adventures around the house, hiding, hunting for things, playing and pretending!
• Adventures around the neighborhood – walking, riding, playing, serving!
• Adventures around the community – shopping, errands, exploring, serving, playing!
• Adventures around the state – before they are grown and gone, find cool places to go and explore!

And what is your purpose? To show them God in as many ways as possible.

You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.
– Deuteronomy 4:35

God is a God of Adventure! He made a world filled with Adventure! He made life exciting! He created places to explore, He created opportunities to serve people, He created beauty and hints of Himself everywhere. All of this He did to give us just a teaser of what is to come. After all, He told us no matter how much of His Creative Majesty we experience here on earth, it is NOTHING compared to what is to come!

However, as it is written: ““No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:9 TLT

We create Adventure for our kids because we want them to fall in love with life! We want them to know that LIFE is an Adventure and that God has an Adventure of a Lifetime awaiting them if they will follow Him and trust Him. If we bore them, they will seek fulfillment outside of us and our values… and it will lead to a life of pain and emptiness and a life outside of God’s Plan for them. Dads – this is your calling – to lead your kids on the right Path in life. It will be the ultimate evaluation of your life.

Do you see? The calling of a father to lead His children toward Godly Adventure is more than just about being a “fun Dad” – it is about drawing them toward God and the Adventure that awaits a life lived well. It is about the Adventure of being a dad who is the Dad Today, and not just on those “Big Adventures” a few times a year – but everyday asking, “How can I make TODAY an Adventure for my son or daughter?”

Are you up for the Adventure, Dad?