Marriage and Fatherhood: Adventures in Humility

Fatherhood seems to be on a decline these days. From portrayals of the “idiot dad” in commercials to the epidemic of single mothers, there is a real problem that goes beyond just our modern culture. Men love adventure, and the real secret of fatherhood is that there is an adventure every day. We’re not talking hostage rescue or dragon slaying adventures, although that may happen when your children start to get more of an imagination. Honestly men have been lied to about what fatherhood means. Men are threatened with the “loss of independence” through movies, TV shows and other modern portrayals of relationships. Economic losses are waved in the face of future husbands, and I fear this has scared many men from commitment. Add to all of this a culture that is hostile to the chivalrous male and you have a recipe for disaster when it comes to holding the family unit together. There certainly is a loss when it comes to fatherhood, but not in terms of what most men think it will be.
Before I was married, I thought I had it made. Every weekend was an open book. I had friends to hang out with, hobbies to occupy my time, and a pretty awesome truck to get me where I wanted to go. There was one thing missing: true joy. All of those things could never fill the gap of a life well lived. After meeting my future wife, I knew I was going to get married. There really wasn’t any doubt. I heard all of the lines from my friends that spelled doom for me after getting married. One friend in particular thought that I was so lacking in brains that he spoke these words, words that every man eats who speaks them: “I’m never getting married;