Burden | Child | Children | Example | Father | Influence | Parent | Prayer

FATHER’S INFLUENCE
Dr. Charlie Shedd tells of an experience he had on a plane, jetting to Los Angeles. He was seated next to a well-dressed man who was absorbed in an article, graphically illustrated with pictures of teenagers on drugs. When he finished reading, the young man closed the magazine and stared into space. Apparently forgetting those around him, he half-spoke, half-whispered what seemed to be a prayer. “Oh God–I wonder why! I suppose nobody knows.” And then he added quickly, “But if a father can make the difference, I sure want to make the difference!” Dr. Shedd began to ask this young man questions. He learned that he was a successful businessman who was burdened by the demands of his career. He had a wife and three children, and nothing was higher on his agenda for the years ahead than to be an effective father, a father who would “make the difference.”