General Douglas MacArthur was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. He led the Allied armies to victory over the Imperial Japanese army in World War II. He then went on and commanded our United Nations forces in Korea. He accomplished a great deal on the battlefield which explains why he is revered today, many decades after his death. But there is another good reason for his admiration as well.
In 1942, General MacArthur was given an award for being a good father by the National Father’s Day Committee. Here is a quote from his acceptance speech:
“Nothing has touched me more deeply than [this honor given to me] by the National Father’s Day Committee. By profession, I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact. But I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build. The father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death, the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle, but in the home.” 1
As fathers, we are called to influence and build up our sons. I believe that the most important ingredient for influencing a child is to spend quality time with them. In doing that it breeds trust and a willingness to listen that will result in a lifetime of influence.
Dads, let’s be committed to spending time with our children in order to build trust, build a willingness to listen and to build young disciples.
Building up our sons will have far greater results then tearing them down.
1 General MacArthur story and quote from Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson, pages 68-69.
