The Best Thing A Dad Can Do - A Minute of Vision for Men

The Best Thing a Dad Can Do

Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden once said, “The most important thing a father can do for his kids is to love their mother.” I think he is absolutely right.

The problem that I often encounter as a husband is that I love myself more than I love my wife. Julee and I have been married for twenty-one years, and we have described our marriage as quite blissful. But I still fall into the same pit all too often—the pit of selfishness and self-love—and the biggest problem is that I often fail to see it.

The cure for my selfishness is humble service, known as the sacrificial love of Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5 states, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

When I actively serve my wife’s interests ahead of my own, I am declaring my love for her. The longer we are married, the more I realize that this needs to be an intentional decision every day, because this kind of love is not driven by emotion. It is easy to slip into selfishness and not even realize it. I want to challenge you to take on the same attitude of Christ and put your wife’s needs ahead of your own. You will love her well, and your children will see it firsthand.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:3-5