Sunday, June 20, 2010

Start a Revolution on Father's Day-Rebecca Hagelin

Start a Revolution on Father's Day

Rebecca Hagelin

Author, 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family

What we need when Father's Day arrives on Sunday is nothing short of a family revolution, led by America's fathers. Ours is a broken culture of fathers and mothers with broken vows, families with broken bonds, and children with broken hearts.

For every 100 babies born in America, 60 are born to a broken family. That is, they are either born out of wedlock, or to a family that will soon suffer divorce. Our teen pregnancy rate is the highest in the Western world. Our little girls are looking and behaving like sex kittens at younger and younger ages. Boys are afraid of marriage, addicted to pornography and have few or no manners. There are about 1.2 million abortions in America every year.

Mothers feel overwhelmed as they seek to "do it all" — earn a paycheck, nurture the children, manage the finances and keep the family together. Much of that is the fault of a radical feminist movement that perverted the battle for equal treatment into a battle for total independence from men. Many men just sat out of what became a destructive force, and now all of us — men, women and children — are suffering the painful results as we realize that we really do need each other after all.

Imagine how our culture would be transformed if fathers refused to be bullied by angry feminists and took more of a loving role of responsibility in their own homes. What if husbands started pouring out unconditional and constant love on their wives in the same manner in which Christ pours love out for his people?

Imagine how our culture would be transformed if each dad of a preteen or teenage girl sat down with his daughter, took both of her hands in his, looked at her intently in the eyes and said, "I love you more than the air I breathe. You are a priceless treasure to be valued and respected. I will fight for your honor; I will be here for you," and then consistently taught her the virtues of modesty, chastity and purity. Imagine how young boys and young men would be affected if their dads warned them of the addictive and harmful nature of pornography, admitted to their own battles, and made a vow to their sons to live clean and honorable lives. What if they began modeling for their sons behavior that begins and ends with being a gentleman, and treating women with thoughtfulness and respect — starting with their own wives?

What if dads everywhere started turning off the television and then turning to their children to reclaim lost hours and years? Imagine what would happen if absentee fathers across the nation called the sons and daughters they have abandoned and begged for forgiveness and another chance, and vowed to spend the rest of their lives devoted to them and doing whatever it takes to heal deep wounds? What if they started being the dads they always should have been?

And how quickly would the value of human life increase if dads across the nation started pushing back against a culture that is killing their preborn children? What if fathers claimed their rightful role as the protector of their little sons and daughters, stepped up to the plate and boldly declared their absolute devotion to every child they create? How would the pregnancy and abortion rate and the level of civility and decency in America be affected if men vowed to have sex only with their wives?

So fathers, start a revolution. Be the moral and spiritual leader your family secretly craves. Above all else, strengthen your family by humbling yourself before God and asking for his help and guidance.

Boldly let your buddies know that your family comes first, that you are going to battle for them, and in so doing, you will help create a more civil, thoughtful and moral America.

If you're already a committed and devoted family father, then raise the bar by spending more time loving your wife, and more time teaching and nurturing your children. Make it a point to find men that are struggling with responsibility and walk along beside them to teach them how to be good fathers, too.

This Father's Day, help lead the revolution for Americas families — starting with your own.