Recently watched Wrath Of The Titans with my son and the ending scene really stuck a chord with me. In this scene Perseus passes the mantle to his son Helius by speaking words of life and symbolically by handing over his sword.

Yeah, this is a fictional movie but this scene gets at the core of what’s missing today.

Consider this glimpse in the story of Jesus. Before His ministry begins, before He has His wilderness experience Jesus hears these words from God, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Ever pause and think about the significance of this?

This is huge!

Growing up I so longed to hear these words from my father, to be affirmed by him. Not hearing these words had a significant impact in my life…it defined me. I had no compass, my rudder was broken…I was lost without a purpose. In my book Heartstone, I describe this emptiness as an intense silent sorrow that I carried with me every day of my life. With hope for acceptance void in my life, I concluded that more work, greater accumulation of symbols of success and worldly praise would somehow give me the strength to come out of my hiding place and hear the life-healing words.

Inside this hardened, calloused shell of a man was a lost, hurt “little boy”.

Our actions and our words have an incredible impact on our kids! I’ve learned that the words every son needs to hear from their dad is, “I am proud to have you as my son! You have what it takes!” I’ve learned that the words every daughter needs to hear from their dad is, “You are an amazing gift from above, I love you and I will fight for your heart!”

For further reading, check out my blog post, ‘My Dad’.

Dad’s, will you pass the mantle on to your kids?