Real leaders understand the danger of inaction – either through intention or just through neglect.

Consider this: Public monuments are never set up to honor someone who merely intended to do something.  They don’t often build monuments to honor those who started a quest, but never finished it.

Leaders act. Though they spend time in study and planning, they mostly act. For leaders, study and planning are a ramp-up for action, not a substitute for it.

Fathers must act as well. As fathers we must lead with action. And now is the time for action. Not tomorrow. Not this week-end. Not after I have had some “Me Time”. Now is the time to act and do. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to be the kind of father that your children’s mother envisioned you to be when she married you.

Moreover, real leaders never let indecision lead to inaction. When confronted with several tough choices of action, they do not shrink back. They brace themselves, consult with their wife and together choose what they judge as the best way forward, and then set to work as best they can to achieve that goal.

As fathers, when the going gets tough, we must toughen up and steel ourselves for the often difficult task of being a full-time father. I say that like it is easy. It isn’t and I know that. I am a father of two. My children are grown and I am very proud of who they have become. But I remember when they were young and we had too much month left at the end of our money. I was working hard and Momma was trying to keep from pulling her hair out every day while I was at work. But I was smart enough to realize that some day things would get a little easier. And then a little easier. And then a little easier. (And then we hit the teenage years and things got a little harder. But that’s another article.)

Sometimes being a great father means doing the best you can with what you have and then collapsing each night into bed with your beloved and pray for the strength to do one more day.

If you are climbing a mountain, you sometimes have to backtrack or seek an alternate route than you originally planned. But as long as together you keep moving upward, you will ultimately reach the summit. The one thing you don’t do is quit. Neglect – or doing nothing – is the biggest mistake of all.

Dads, find someone that you can turn to for sound Godly advice about what it means to lead at home. If you need help, if you need a mentor, reach out to us at Leadership Voices and we can put you in touch with some men who have walked the trail and climbed the mountain and can now see the view from up high. Trust me. It looks different than what you see down below.

Photo credit: Jack in DC / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Photo credit: iwona_kellie / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA