Most fathers know that fatherhood can be the source of life’s greatest joy and its deepest satisfaction. Of course, they also know that no work demands more of their energy or more of their heart. It takes time and effort to do fatherhood well.
Knowing all of this, it can be hard for a well-intentioned father to know if his limited time and less-than-perfect efforts are making a difference. For such fathers, these words of counsel from two wise, experienced fathers may help:
One said, “Moments are the molecules that make up eternity!” And another observed: “It is not so much the major events as the small day-to-day decisions that map the course of our living. … Our lives are, in reality, the sum total of our seemingly unimportant decisions and of our capacity to live by those decisions.”
It could be that the best way for a father to bless and influence his children is by doing simple things with them, day to day, over and over: playing catch, washing dishes, weeding the garden, working on homework—just being together. Lasting memories are built in moments like these. Each daily decision to set a good example, to live with integrity, to love with loyalty, and to spend time together strengthens the bond between father and child. Surely there’s no better use of a father’s energy, heart, and time
Yes, fatherhood comes with its sorrows and heartache as deep and poignant as its joys. But when a father has invested himself in the small daily moments, he doesn’t give up easily. He keeps loving, keeps trying, keeps being there for his family. Such efforts may seem insignificant at the time, but eternity is composed of these simple moments, and they add up to some of the deepest, most lasting joys that heaven grants us on earth.
1. Neal A. Maxwell, “The Tugs and Pulls of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 37.
2. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Caesar, Circus, or Christ?” (Brigham Young University devotional, Oct. 26, 1965), speeches.byu.edu.
_________________________________
June 17, 2018
Broadcast Number 4,631
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Joys of Fatherhood
Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Lloyd Newell
Praise Ye the Lord
Kirby Shaw
Pilgrim Song
American folk hymn; arr. Ryan Murphy
All Things Bright and Beautiful
English folk tune; arr. Dale Wood
How Excellent Thy Name, from Saul
George Frideric Handel
Sunrise, Sunset, from Fiddler on the Roof
Jerry Bock; arr. Arthur Harris
Home Is a Special Kind of Feeling, from The Wind in the Willows
John Rutter
Hymn of Praise
Mack Wilberg