FFK Dads Make the Greatest Heroes
There are many people in the world trying to set themselves up as heroes for boys and girls to follow. The rock and roll stars all try to get you to dress like them and imitate their music and their bad habits. Ball players and sports stars and people in every other kind of job are proud if kids want to grow up to be what they are.
But we need to be careful about who our heroes are. Even when we don’t realize it, we will be talking like them, walking like them, dressing like them, and trying to make people believe we really are like them. The danger is that after a while we do become a lot like the people we admire who are our heroes.
It is important that we look up to people who love God and want to help us serve the Lord. Jesus knew that we would be looking for an example to follow, so He said, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;” (Ephesians 5:1) We should try to be like Jesus. Yet He knew that we would also follow the example of other people, so Paul told us to follow those who were following Jesus. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) Our heroes are really just people we admire and we want to be like, so we follow their example.
While there are many preachers and good Christian people we can look at for examples, one of the most important people in your life is DAD. Do you have a dad that loves God and takes you to church faithfully? Do you have a dad who works hard, and loves you, and makes sure that you have what you need as you grow up? Do you have a dad who takes time to help you learn, or to play with you and spend time together? If you do, then you have a special hero, someone whose example you can follow. God gave boys and girls a dad so that they could have a strong man to look up to and admire, one who would love them, protect and provide for them, and try to be a good example.
If you were playing a game like Follow The Leader, you might not always get to be first in line behind the leader. But if the person in front of you is following the leader, then you can follow the leader by following them. Our heroes are the people who we follow, the people we want to be like.
Paul said to follow people who were following Jesus, so if your dad loves God and tries to live like Jesus, then you can follow God by following your dad, BECAUSE DADS MAKE THE GREATEST HEROES.
Billy was fortunate to have a good Christian family who went to church together. Billy’s dad had served his country in the Navy Seals, but now he was back home with them and working a construction job to provide for his family. Dad had often pointed out to Billy that some of the athletes, even though they were talented at sports, were not very good examples when it came to drinking liquor, taking drugs, and living a wild and sinful lifestyle, but Billy never wanted to hear it. In fact, Mom had often mentioned that there was no sports athlete in the world that was as great a hero as his own dad, who had risked his life to serve his country.
As he got older, Billy’s interest was more and more wrapped up in sports and athletes. Instead of learning the Bible, he could quote a lot of statistics and averages about his favorite teams and players, and even spout off the scores from games and the teams’ standings. It seemed like the more time he spent following sports, the less interested he was in church and reading his Bible. His bedroom walls were covered with the posters of his favorite players, and he always wanted to be tuned in to a ball game or sports commentator. No matter who was around, Billy only wanted to talk about one thing -- sports.
Finally came the day he had been waiting for. Billy and his dad had worked and saved money so they could buy tickets and attend a football game together. It was going to be his first time at a professional sports stadium, instead of watching the game on TV. He was so excited to see the guys in person, and maybe he would even get a chance to meet one of them or get their autograph.
Just like always, the national anthem was played before the start of the game. The camera moved slowly down the line of players who were standing at attention with their hands held over their hearts. That is UNTIL the camera reached his favorite player, who had decided he didn’t want to show respect for the American flag and all that it represents. Instead he was kneeling in protest against our country! Billy was shocked. Billy’s dad, standing right beside him, stood at attention with his hand over his heart. He always said that was more important than which team scored the most points.
The game began and Billy’s interest was completely focused on the field. Dad had just gone to get hot dogs and soda. Suddenly an alarm began to sound, and not far off you could see the funnel cloud of an approaching tornado. Thousands of fans began to scream and run toward the exits, and in the panic, Billy was pushed and shoved and finally knocked down. He yelled for help, but the cries of the crowd drowned him out, and he was trampled underfoot and then pushed aside. Before the crowd could make it to the exit doors, the deafening twister roared into the stadium and a huge section of flying metal and debris crashed into him and pinned him down. Billy thought for sure all of those strong, athletic football players would be rushing to save their fans. But the muscle-bound athletes just ran in fear for their lives, leaving Billy and many others in a hopeless situation. To make matters worse, a fire broke out not far away.
“Billy!” He turned his head to look in the direction of that familiar voice, and he saw his dad fighting his way through the panicked crowd to find him. His dad struggled to lift the the wreckage and get him freed. Carried in his father’s arms, Billy was taken safely to one of the ambulances that had arrived in the parking area. As soon as he located one of the paramedics who was also their neighbor, Billy’s dad rushed back into the stadium looking for others who were trapped and in danger of their lives. The athletes ran away from danger and people needing help, but his dad rushed right into the danger to help save the lives of others.
Suddenly sports didn’t seem so important any more, and ball players were no longer the heroes he admired. “Wow,” Billy thought. “All along the greatest hero was really my dad!”
Make your dad a card that says, “Happy Father’s Day to my Hero! When I grow up I want to be just like you -- GREAT!”
Billy has shown little interest in the Lord or the Bible because his love for sports consumes most of his time and attention. All of his admiration is focused upon his favorite athletes until a real life disaster proves that his greatest hero is really his own Dad.
There are many people in the world trying to set themselves up as heroes for boys and girls to follow. The rock and roll stars all try to get you to dress like them and imitate their music and their bad habits. Ball players and sports stars and people in every other kind of job are proud if kids want to grow up to be what they are.
But we need to be careful about who our heroes are. Even when we don’t realize it, we will be talking like them, walking like them, dressing like them, and trying to make people believe we really are like them. The danger is that after a while we do become a lot like the people we admire who are our heroes.
It is important that we look up to people who love God and want to help us serve the Lord. Jesus knew that we would be looking for an example to follow, so He said, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;” (Ephesians 5:1) We should try to be like Jesus. Yet He knew that we would also follow the example of other people, so Paul told us to follow those who were following Jesus. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) Our heroes are really just people we admire and we want to be like, so we follow their example.
While there are many preachers and good Christian people we can look at for examples, one of the most important people in your life is DAD. Do you have a dad that loves God and takes you to church faithfully? Do you have a dad who works hard, and loves you, and makes sure that you have what you need as you grow up? Do you have a dad who takes time to help you learn, or to play with you and spend time together? If you do, then you have a special hero, someone whose example you can follow. God gave boys and girls a dad so that they could have a strong man to look up to and admire, one who would love them, protect and provide for them, and try to be a good example.
If you were playing a game like Follow The Leader, you might not always get to be first in line behind the leader. But if the person in front of you is following the leader, then you can follow the leader by following them. Our heroes are the people who we follow, the people we want to be like.
Paul said to follow people who were following Jesus, so if your dad loves God and tries to live like Jesus, then you can follow God by following your dad, BECAUSE DADS MAKE THE GREATEST HEROES.
Billy was fortunate to have a good Christian family who went to church together. Billy’s dad had served his country in the Navy Seals, but now he was back home with them and working a construction job to provide for his family. Dad had often pointed out to Billy that some of the athletes, even though they were talented at sports, were not very good examples when it came to drinking liquor, taking drugs, and living a wild and sinful lifestyle, but Billy never wanted to hear it. In fact, Mom had often mentioned that there was no sports athlete in the world that was as great a hero as his own dad, who had risked his life to serve his country.
As he got older, Billy’s interest was more and more wrapped up in sports and athletes. Instead of learning the Bible, he could quote a lot of statistics and averages about his favorite teams and players, and even spout off the scores from games and the teams’ standings. It seemed like the more time he spent following sports, the less interested he was in church and reading his Bible. His bedroom walls were covered with the posters of his favorite players, and he always wanted to be tuned in to a ball game or sports commentator. No matter who was around, Billy only wanted to talk about one thing -- sports.
Finally came the day he had been waiting for. Billy and his dad had worked and saved money so they could buy tickets and attend a football game together. It was going to be his first time at a professional sports stadium, instead of watching the game on TV. He was so excited to see the guys in person, and maybe he would even get a chance to meet one of them or get their autograph.
Just like always, the national anthem was played before the start of the game. The camera moved slowly down the line of players who were standing at attention with their hands held over their hearts. That is UNTIL the camera reached his favorite player, who had decided he didn’t want to show respect for the American flag and all that it represents. Instead he was kneeling in protest against our country! Billy was shocked. Billy’s dad, standing right beside him, stood at attention with his hand over his heart. He always said that was more important than which team scored the most points.
The game began and Billy’s interest was completely focused on the field. Dad had just gone to get hot dogs and soda. Suddenly an alarm began to sound, and not far off you could see the funnel cloud of an approaching tornado. Thousands of fans began to scream and run toward the exits, and in the panic, Billy was pushed and shoved and finally knocked down. He yelled for help, but the cries of the crowd drowned him out, and he was trampled underfoot and then pushed aside. Before the crowd could make it to the exit doors, the deafening twister roared into the stadium and a huge section of flying metal and debris crashed into him and pinned him down. Billy thought for sure all of those strong, athletic football players would be rushing to save their fans. But the muscle-bound athletes just ran in fear for their lives, leaving Billy and many others in a hopeless situation. To make matters worse, a fire broke out not far away.
“Billy!” He turned his head to look in the direction of that familiar voice, and he saw his dad fighting his way through the panicked crowd to find him. His dad struggled to lift the the wreckage and get him freed. Carried in his father’s arms, Billy was taken safely to one of the ambulances that had arrived in the parking area. As soon as he located one of the paramedics who was also their neighbor, Billy’s dad rushed back into the stadium looking for others who were trapped and in danger of their lives. The athletes ran away from danger and people needing help, but his dad rushed right into the danger to help save the lives of others.
Suddenly sports didn’t seem so important any more, and ball players were no longer the heroes he admired. “Wow,” Billy thought. “All along the greatest hero was really my dad!”
Make your dad a card that says, “Happy Father’s Day to my Hero! When I grow up I want to be just like you -- GREAT!”
Billy has shown little interest in the Lord or the Bible because his love for sports consumes most of his time and attention. All of his admiration is focused upon his favorite athletes until a real life disaster proves that his greatest hero is really his own Dad.
