Be a Happy Dad
by Ken Pierpont
Command Index
- Study Question
- Character Quality
- Bible Verses
- Pastor Chen
- Ragna’s Question
- Be a Happy Dad
When life’s responsibilities are pressing, it is easy to forget how to rejoice. Our natural response to trouble is to murmur and complain, to become solemn and go through life with a wrinkled forehead. Then we complain that there are children’s bikes in the driveway instead of rejoicing that there are children. We murmur about the menu instead of rejoicing that God has provided food.
One evening when I was a boy, our family was trying to adjust to an unfamiliar town, a troubled church, mild culture shock, and inadequate pay. We sat down to a meal and everyone could tell that Mom and Dad were under pressure. One of my little brothers reached for something without asking first and knocked over his drink.
Instantly, Dad sprang back from the table, knocking the chair over and striding from the room. The atmosphere was charged with tension, and we all sat and looked around in uncomfortable silence. No one spoke. We wondered if Dad would come back to eat.
In a minute we heard noise, and then Dad showed up in the doorway. He was dressed in a full-length rain coat. We all burst into laughter. Dad sat down and we enjoyed a meal together, laughing and talking at the same time.
Are you a solemn, sober, sullen dad, or do you lead your family in rejoicing when things are dark and difficult? Do you lift people’s sights to God and to good when things are hard? You can if you simply obey the command to rejoice.
Ken Pierpont has been married to his wife Lois since 1979. They have eight children, four sons and four daughters. Ken has been a pastor for over 20 years.
