Bad news and good news: The bad news is that you are going to die without accomplishing everything you would like to accomplish in this life. The good news is that it’s okay. That is the way it is supposed to be. We are meant to leave something for our children to do. Our role is to invest in them. We are meant to mentor the next generation.
Fathers are called to invest in the next generation. Great dads are mentors . They teach their kids life skills. They teach their kids character. A mentor is a more experienced and knowledgeable person who guides a less experienced and knowledgeable person. That’s what dads do. A great dad is more than that, but never less than that.
Other people, in addition to fathers, can mentor the next generation. It might mean getting to know your niece or nephew better. It might mean encouraging a younger believer at church. It might mean guiding a younger co-worker. Whatever your specific circumstances, your life as a follower of Jesus Christ is not complete if you are not investing in a younger person in some way.
At the end of our lives, we will be judged by our Creator. What would be the perfect time for judgment day? Not that it’s up to us, but the best time for our personal day of judgment might be fifty or sixty years after we die. That would allow time to evaluate the influence we have had on the people around us. That would allow time to measure how faithful we have been in mentoring the next generation. For men with children, that would allow time to measure what kind of dads we were. Great dads mentor the next generation.