Too many children in America are growing up without a father. Sadly, even when there is a father in the home, although he is physically present, he is often emotionally absent.

On this Father’s Day, I want to reflect upon a simple premise: To leave a legacy, you must live a legacy.

None of us will ever get everything right. But we can choose to be faithful even when we mess up.

Leaving a legacy for your kids is certainly important, but the emphasis of scripture is living a legacy. If we’re going to pass our faith along, we must first possess our faith. Fathers must confess their faith openly while also living it and walking in purity and integrity.

Little eyes are watching you, Dad. There’s no place in our lives for the stain of moral impurity or the lack of integrity. We need to be setting the highest possible standards for our lives, not seeing how close to sin we can get without being burned.

So much about being a father is about being the leader of the home.

Consider the questions:

• How are you living?
• What kind of leader are you?

If you are a follower of Christ, you’ll be living right and you’ll be the right kind of leader in your family, in your community, and your church.

A man who pursues integrity and follows Christ in His holiness and purity is a godly father who can faithfully lead his family in truth.

Following Jesus means humbling yourself enough to admit when you're wrong. Maybe you've lost your temper, been distracted and disengaged at home, or ignored what God’s been nudging you to confront. Leading well starts with being led — by Christ.

It’s about more than clocking a few distracted minutes with your kids each day. It’s about living a life they can watch and imitate. Can they see that you follow Jesus — not because you say it, but because it’s obvious in the way you live?

That’s the kind of legacy that matters.

None of us will ever get everything right. But we can choose to be faithful even when we mess up.

Sons need to see a dad who doesn’t just talk about values but actively pursues Christ. Daughters need to see their father love their mother with the same faithfulness and sacrifice Christ showed His church.

Dads, your children don’t need a perfect father. They need a present one. They need a praying one, and they need a passionate one. They don’t need a weekend warrior or a distant provider. They need someone who’s following Jesus and letting Jesus lead him every day.

If we do that — if we stay close to Christ — we won’t just leave a legacy. We’ll live one. Right here, right now, in our homes, in our churches, and in the hearts of the children who are watching us every day.

As we consider the significance of Father’s Day, let’s make it our lifelong goal to be faithful in God’s eyes — and not just be successful by the world’s standards.

In the end, we may never be the smartest, richest, or most accomplished men in the room. But we can be the fathers our children need and the followers Christ has called us to be.