should realize that being a father is a full-time job. We can’t expect to get
results with a little effort occasionally put forth. Being a provider and
protector is hard, but today let’s consider another aspect that may be more
difficult for some of us. Since God made the father the head of the home and the
leader of the family he really has an incredible responsibility to be the
propulsion system of the family. This involves not only the driving force to
produce motion, but also the steering to control direction. Some fathers don’t
do either of these two things and some may do one, but it is rare to find a man
who knows where his family is going and how to get them there.
Some men have just gotten out of the driver’s seat and let their wives drive
the family (I am not talking about who literally drives the family car.). It is
wonderful to have a wife that can be trusted and is being the helpmeet God
intended her to be, but it is not her job to lead the family and that
responsibility should not be thrust upon her contrary to God’s will.
The man who is doing neither thing just likes the feel of sitting in the
driver’s seat, in the car, in the garage. He plays with the switches and knobs
and buttons, puts his hands on the steering wheel and imagines winning the
Daytona 500 or the Indy 500. The reality is that he has done nothing and has not
even entered his family in the race.
If we have lots of drive without the direction we look like a kid in a
bumper car; Sometimes going forward, sometimes backward, sometimes left,
sometimes right, but mainly just going around in circles going no where fast and
crashing into everything around us. Zig Ziglar said that if you aim at nothing
you will hit it with amazing accuracy. This seems to be the situation in many
families today they are constantly on the go, but with no real goal in mind they
are just running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Then of course comes the one who is so obsessed with making sure the
direction of the steering is perfectly aligned that all he will ever do is push
the car a couple of inches at a time. He is so afraid of the awesome power and
responsibility that he won’t even start the engine. Because of the fear of
making a wrong turn or having a wreck he has become useless as a leader. This is
not to say that we just never think about course corrections. We all make wrong
turns and have to get back on the right road. Sometimes we even wreck, but we
have to get back in the driver’s seat and go again because our family is
counting on us.
Both drive and steering are essential for operating a motor vehicle and a
family. And the father is the one given the task. We have to balance the
components so that the ride is as safe as possible, as meaningful as possible,
as enjoyable as possible, and as productive as possible for everyone in the
family. If we go too fast we may frighten some of the family. If we go too slow
they may be bored. If they don’t want to go where we are going there will be
problems. If they don’t know where we are going or why we are going there we
will have problems. Some wives may see someone else’s car and think they would
rather ride with him. Teenagers may decide they would rather drive their own
car. Some fathers lose passengers from their families because of these kinds of
problems. Communication is necessary to keep everyone on board.