Becoming an Intentional FatherSample

What’s Getting in Your Way as a Father?

Imagine you’re running a marathon. OK, I might’ve lost you right there. Just play along.

You’re running a marathon on a narrow road winding through the woods. At the first mile marker, you spot rocks blocking the path. Confused, you start slowing down. As you get to the rock pile, you spot a woman standing nearby. You’re no genius, but you figure she’s with the race since she’s wearing a red shirt that says, “Race Official.”

She says, “I don’t know if they told you, but this is an obstacle-removing kind of race.” She grins. You wonder what’s so funny. She continues, “Every so often, you’ll come across something in your way. You’re not allowed to go around or over it. You must remove it. You’ll have to clear the path before continuing.”

Before you can ask questions, she darts into the forest. After twenty minutes of back-breaking work, the road is rock-free. You trot off, wondering what other obstacles you’ll face on the road ahead.

Fatherhood is like this. The road is narrow; the race is long. And, to run it well, we sometimes must remove something blocking our progress.

This reading plan will examine six of the most common obstacles fathers face on their journey. We have worked with hundreds of fathers in our father-and-son Bible study ministry. The list of roadblocks we will walk through came from the fathers we work with. We’ve listened to their struggles, we know our struggles—so the odds are good—you struggle with at least one of these too.

We’ll explore each one, but let’s start with a quick glance:

1. Ignorance: Is this really my job?
2. Inertia: How can I get off the dime?
3. Delegation: Have I given up my role?
4. Guilt: Have I become my own enemy?
5. Procrastination: What am I waiting on?
6. Despair: Are my kids just too far gone?

These roadblocks aren’t permanent unless we allow them to be. They can be removed. The first step is acknowledging they exist.

Together, we can run this fatherhood marathon and remove the obstacles we find along the way. As we lace up our shoes, let’s draw inspiration from Scripture.