A father at his core is a guide. He has seen enough potholes in life to point his children to a smoother path. As flawed as we all are, fathers hold valuable experience for the child they are privileged to pilot.

Do your homework. Tell the truth. Look both ways when crossing the street. Eat your vegetables. Don’t swing at a 3-0 pitch.

We have valuable advice for almost every aspect of life – either from our past success, or more frequently from life’s lessons delivered through our failures. So why do so many fathers these days skip past the topic of faith?

Couched in cowardice or simply omitted out of uncertainty, too many dads leave the question of faith to the rest of the world to answer for their kids. Some half-hearted responses go like this: “I’ll let them decide what they believe,” or “Who am I to say what they should think?”

The answer: You’re their dad. Act like it.

Would such apathy be acceptable in other areas of life? Would we let our first grader decide if school was really necessary? Of course not. We know better. Would we let our child choose their own diet? And if so, we would have no room to complain when they chose Cheetos for breakfast.

Such instances seem ridiculous and downright irresponsible, but it’s the so-so approach too many fathers take toward their stance on God. A real man does not shrug his shoulders or avoid eye contact when his son or daughter looks to him for direction.

Christians know that I Peter 3:15 tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Make no mistake, the most poignant questions will come in the home, especially from the doe-eyed kids placed in our care.

If you don’t adhere to the faith of your parents, that’s your choice. But why not? Have an answer. Do you believe in God at all? Be prepared to tell your kids why or why not.

No father – or mother or grandfather or grandmother for that matter – has all the answers, but we have far more than the little ones we claim to love with all our hearts. Dad should have as many answers as possible, because we all know that kids never run out of questions.

In Mark 9:42, Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”

An apathetic approach to faith is certainly an option, but what a tremendous gamble to take with your own soul and that of your children – especially when the answers to their questions may very well lie within a leather-bound book on your shelf or an app on your phone.

Think not? Then take the time, examination and preparation needed to be ready to answer the many hard questions that are sure to come your way. It’s the least that a loving father can give their child.

– Adam Sparks