“To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool.” (Proverbs 17:21)
We’re wrapping up Fool Week with a moment of silence for the dads of fools everywhere. They’re out there right now grieving and joyless.
Everybody wants their dad to be proud of them. Of course we do. It’s built into us to want our dads to respect us and be glad to call us their kids. Sometimes, dads aren’t great at showing that. Dads can be fools, too.
But here’s something we don’t always ponder: Dads want to be proud of their kids, too. And it’s hard to be genuinely proud of what the Bible calls a fool—someone who has rejected God’s way for his or her own path through life. That makes wise dads sad, because they know every path but God’s leads to pain, heartache, and disappointment.
You can’t make your dad be proud of you—that’s up to him—but you can give him (or anyone whose opinion matters to you) good reason to be proud of you by growing in wisdom, looking for it and figuring out how to live by it.
Most dads want exactly that for their kids.
Think: Do you tend to think of your dad as a wise person? Do you think he wants you to be wise in how you live your life? Does that matter to him?
Pray: Ask God to help you to continue to grow in wisdom in a way that would give your dad – or anyone you respect – good reason to be proud of you.
Do: Read how urgently one dad begs his kids to go out and get wisdom in Proverbs 4:1-8.