Breaking the Cycle

What kind of legacy will I leave behind when I pass on (should the Lord tarry)? That was a question I asked my self after reading The Apprentice’s post titled ‘Am I a “Real” Man?’. This beautiful article left me pondering about the responsibilities of manhood. 
Worldwide, there is a father-son crisis. Men seem to have abdicated from their true responsibilities. At home, they are away most of the time, working hard to make ends meet. In church, you will find more women than men. I remember one time filling in a questionnaire about my relationship with Dad and when I was asked what I would have loved to change I realised how much I needed to have spent more time with him.
The best  place we can learn about true fatherhood and manhood is the Bible. In this great book we learn about the original Father, God Almighty and how he related with men. Through His word we learn from His relationship with His son, Jesus Christ. That is a perfect model for us to follow. The Father loved his son, affirmed him, listened to him. These are things every Son needs from a Father. Iron sharpens iron. As men, we need to have other men we are accountable to. Men that we look up to. Men with a good example. Men with evidently stable families. Men of wisdom. We need men we can share our challenges with. People we are not afraid to tell our successes and failures. People we can pray with. Guys who can speak into our lives.
In his book, “What’s a Father to Do?” Don Schmierer speaks man-to-man with dads about the problems that can arise with growing kids – problems like addictions, eating disorders, promiscuity and same-sex attractions. And he doesn’t mince words. About negative generational cycles he says…
“The cycles that exist in families are all too-familiar to counsellors. It’s much harder for us to see it in ourselves. The fact is, many of us treat our children the same way we were treated. They, in turn, treat their children the way they were treated. On and on it goes. And where does it stop? It only stops when we choose, with God’s help, to break the cycle.”
The best days are ahead of us if men choose to be good men. I am glad for the children of those men and the generation they’ll raise up. The best is yet to come as we break the negative cycles of our past.