“I ain’t never done this before, so I’m gonna walk where you walk.”

Words that cannonballed so forcefully into my heart that tears came splashing up through my eyes.

Our former foster son was walking directly behind me on his very first backpacking trip in May of last year. Being from the city, he had never even hiked, let alone spent a night in the woods. I, however, had backpacked and hiked enough to lose count. And, we happened to be walking a trail I knew like the back of my hand. I knew where the hills became slippery, where the enticing detours were which led to nowhere, and where the best shelters and springs could be found.

It was all unfamiliar territory to him.

He decided to copy me—step where I did, avoid what I avoided, go where I went, and follow my footsteps.

I had to recollect myself when he said this because he summarized fatherhood in a single sentence without knowing it.

My eyes became watery partly because I was grieved—this young man didn’t even know his father. He missed all his birthdays. He never taught him to ride a bike, skin a deer, rig a fishing pole, drive a car, or change a tire.

But the overwhelming sense of both privilege and responsibility were to blame for my tears as well. He had entrusted me to lead the way. He watched my every step because he believed I would take the right path.

I think about these wise words all the time, but especially as Father’s Day approaches. Indeed, fatherhood is all about teaching your children how to walk a path they‘ve never walked.

“Train a child in the way he should go,” commanded Solomon of old. This implies that children do not know the way to go. Dads should. The Lord has called us to lead biblically and courageously, leading from the front so that our children can walk behind in confidence, saying, “I ain’t never done this before, so I am gonna walk where you walk.”

Dads, long before our kids listen to our instructions, they watch our lives. Our words, choices, and conduct. They will follow in our footsteps, for better or worse. Let’s make sure we take the right path—the narrow way that leads to everlasting life. Let’s show them the dangers to avoid, the steps worth taking, and where they can find what they need to survive in a sin-cursed world.

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