FINISH! FINISH! FINISH! That’s Why You Got a Dad!!!

FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!

That’s Why You Got a Dad!!!

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” — Ephesians 6:4 (KJV)

Hey Friends!

This blog was inspired by a video I saw of a dad encouraging his son while the young man was pulling some heavy resistance weight, almost as if he were preparing for football season.

That boy was working!

He was tired.

The resistance was pulling against him.

But Dad was right there.

“FINISH! FINISH! FINISH! You got this!”

And then the father said something that grabbed my attention:

“I got you! That’s why you got a dad!”

WHEW!

I heard something much bigger than exercise in those words.

I heard a father saying:

This is part of my responsibility.

I’m here to help you.

I’m here to teach you.

I’m here to guide you.

I’m here to push you.

And I’m here to remind you that you can finish when you don’t think you can.

That’s Why You Got a Dad!

What I also loved about the video was the relationship between the father and son.

The son listened to his father’s voice. He didn’t become offended because Dad was pushing him. He didn’t start exchanging disrespectful words with him.

Dad pushed.

Son kept going.

Then Dad checked on him:

“You good?”

His son responded:

“I’m good.”

Now THAT spoke to me.

Dad wasn’t simply demanding something from his son.

He was paying attention to him.

He knew when to push, but he also knew when to check on him.

And his son trusted his father’s voice enough to keep moving.

There were also other men in the background encouraging them.

I loved seeing that!

Fathers encouraging fathers.

Men encouraging young men.

One generation helping prepare the next generation.

We don’t always get to see those images celebrated enough.

So to all the dads out there who are showing up and being strong examples for your children:

THANK YOU!

May God rain down His blessings upon you.

Keep showing up.

Keep teaching.

Keep praying.

Keep correcting.

Keep loving.

Keep encouraging.

And keep pushing your children toward greatness.

But Dad…Where Are You?

Now I have to talk to the fathers who aren’t there.

Dad, where are you?

Why aren’t you there?

Your children need you.

Maybe you’ve been gone a long time.

Maybe things didn’t work out between you and their mother.

Maybe you’re angry.

Maybe you’re embarrassed.

Maybe you don’t know how to come back.

Maybe nobody ever showed you how to be a father because your own father wasn’t there.

I understand that there can be complicated circumstances.

But when it is safe and possible for you to be involved:

Please show up for your children.

Some mothers are exhausted because they are carrying responsibilities that were never intended to be carried alone.

Your children need guidance.

They need structure.

They need stability.

They need examples.

They need encouragement.

They need accountability.

They need love.

And yes—sometimes they simply need Dad.

“But I Didn’t Have a Dad and I Turned Out Fine!”

Okay.

I get it.

I really do.

Some fathers might say:

“My father wasn’t there. My mother raised me by herself, and I survived.”

And thank God for those mothers!

Some mothers stepped into circumstances they never expected and somehow found the strength to keep that household moving.

They worked.

They sacrificed.

They prayed.

They cried when nobody was watching.

They stretched money.

They disciplined.

They encouraged.

They kept food on the table.

And they raised their babies.

But here’s my question:

Why should surviving without Dad become the standard for the next generation?

Yes, you survived.

But what might have been different if a loving, responsible, God-fearing father had been present too?

What additional wisdom might you have received?

What conversations might you have had?

What mistakes might somebody have helped you avoid?

What confidence might have developed sooner?

What questions might have been answered?

What burdens might Mom not have had to carry alone?

That’s what I’m talking about.

And Yes—Our Communities Need Fathers Too

Now, I want to be careful here because this conversation is bigger than one issue.

Father absence is not the sole cause of gangs, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, poverty, violence, crime, or struggling communities. Those are complicated problems influenced by many things—economic conditions, education, opportunity, addiction, family circumstances, crime, individual decisions, community resources, and much more.

But acknowledging that complexity doesn’t mean we have to pretend fathers don’t matter.

Imagine communities filled with even more responsible fathers actively involved in their children’s lives.

Imagine Dad knowing where his son is at night.

Imagine Dad recognizing when his daughter suddenly begins withdrawing.

Imagine fathers coaching teams, attending school meetings, teaching young men about responsibility, watching who their children associate with, praying with their families, helping with homework, correcting destructive behavior early, and showing children through their own lives what integrity looks like.

Would that solve every problem?

No.

But could strong, loving, involved fathers make a meaningful difference?

Absolutely.

Healthy families can help strengthen neighborhoods.

Healthy neighborhoods can help strengthen communities.

And strong communities can help change generations.

We cannot place every social problem at the feet of absent fathers.

But neither should we act as though a father’s presence has no impact.

Dad matters.

Mom matters.

Family matters.

Community matters.

And above everything else in my life:

God matters.

Dad, Show Up!

Dad, don’t abandon your children as though they don’t exist.

They do.

And they need you.

You might ask:

“Why do they need me when Mom is already there?”

I’m glad you asked!

10 Reasons Dads Should Be Present in Their Children’s Lives

1. A Dad Helps Build Identity

A present father can reinforce:

“You belong. You matter. You are valuable.”

Children can carry those affirmations into adulthood.

2. A Dad Provides Protection

Protection isn’t only physical.

A father can help his children recognize danger, establish boundaries, make wise decisions, and know somebody has their back.

3. A Dad Teaches You to FINISH!

When a child gets tired and wants to quit, Dad can be the voice saying:

“You’ve got ten more yards! Keep going! FINISH!”

He teaches perseverance when life becomes difficult.

Sometimes love doesn’t remove the resistance.

Sometimes love teaches you how to push through it.

4. A Dad Provides Guidance

A father can say:

“I’ve been down this road before. Let me show you what I learned.”

His experience can become wisdom for the next generation.

5. A Dad Helps Build Confidence

There is something powerful about hearing:

“I believe in you.”

Dad’s encouragement can give a child courage to attempt something they didn’t believe they could do.

6. A Dad Models Responsibility

Show up.

Keep your word.

Work hard.

Admit when you’re wrong.

Apologize.

Take care of your responsibilities.

Finish what you start.

Children aren’t only listening to what Dad says.

They’re watching what Dad does.

7. A Dad Provides Discipline and Structure

Healthy discipline isn’t about fear.

It’s about direction.

Boundaries teach children that choices have consequences and character matters.

8. A Dad Models How to Treat Others

Sons are watching how Dad carries himself.

Daughters are watching too.

How does Dad treat people?

How does he handle disagreement?

Does he demonstrate integrity?

Does he respect others?

Children learn relationships partly by watching the adults around them.

9. A Dad Gives His Children a Safe Place to Fall

Children will make mistakes.

Sometimes they’re going to fail.

That’s when Dad can say:

“Okay. You fell. What did you learn? Now get back up. I’m still here.”

10. A Dad Prepares His Children to Eventually Stand Without Him

This one is powerful.

Dad isn’t supposed to carry his children forever.

He teaches them how to carry responsibility themselves.

He trains.

He demonstrates.

He corrects.

He encourages.

He prepares.

And eventually he releases.

One day, that little boy hearing his father yell “FINISH!” may become a grown man standing behind his own son or daughter saying:

“Keep going! You can do this!”

That’s called legacy.

Now Let’s Talk About Responsibility

Okay, I get it!

Maybe becoming a father wasn’t on your radar.

Maybe it was one encounter.

Maybe you and the mother weren’t planning a family.

Maybe you weren’t prepared.

But once a child enters the picture, something changes.

Now somebody else is depending on you.

Your child shouldn’t have to carry the consequences of adult decisions.

And to the men who aren’t fathers yet, let me say this from my Christian perspective:

Make wise decisions before fatherhood arrives.

I believe God’s design for sex is within marriage.

Our culture may have changed tremendously from previous generations, but God’s standard doesn’t have to change because culture changed.

However, I don’t want to use shame here either.

Because children born outside marriage are not shameful.

Children are precious.

A situation may not have happened according to God’s ideal, but that child still deserves love, protection, guidance, responsibility, and presence from both parents whenever safely possible.

And marriage itself shouldn’t simply become a quick solution because a pregnancy occurred. Marriage requires love, commitment, wisdom, preparation, and responsibility before God.

But fatherhood?

That responsibility has already arrived.

Dad, show up.

My Testimony

This subject touches somewhere personal for me.

How I wished I had my dad growing up.

But he wasn’t there.

He knew I existed, yet chose not to become part of my life.

So my mother raised me.

I grew up in a single-parent household with a mother who did the absolute best she knew how to do.

She wanted my father to be part of my life.

But he chose differently.

So Mama did what mothers do.

She raised her child.

She showed up.

She loved.

She provided.

She sacrificed.

She carried responsibilities she probably never imagined she would have to carry alone.

And I honor her for that.

A mother can absolutely raise strong, successful children without a father in the home—and countless mothers have done exactly that.

But acknowledging a mother’s strength doesn’t mean we should minimize the value of an engaged father.

Mom may have carried what she had to carry because Dad wasn’t there.

She became provider, encourager, disciplinarian, comforter, teacher—and sometimes everything in between.

But when a good father has the opportunity to be present:

His presence matters too.

This isn’t about diminishing Mom.

It’s about reminding Dad that he has an assignment nobody should have to beg him to fulfill.

Your children need more than your name.

They need your presence.

Your voice.

Your wisdom.

Your encouragement.

Your example.

And sometimes they need to hear Dad standing behind them yelling:

“FINISH! FINISH! FINISH! YOU GOT THIS!”

I Finally Got to See What Fatherhood Looked Like

I never knew what it was like to have my own dad actively involved in my life.

But later, I witnessed something through the father of my sons.

My former husband showed up for our boys.

And through him, I got to see what fatherhood could look like.

I watched a father teach his sons.

Correct them.

Guide them.

Encourage them.

Push them.

Love them.

And be there for them.

Today, our boys are strong young men, and their father’s presence contributed to the men they became.

Of course Mama had something to do with it too! 😂

But this blog isn’t about me today!

Today I’m giving flowers to the dads.

The dads who stayed.

The dads who showed up.

The dads who made mistakes but kept learning.

The dads who sacrificed.

The dads who coached.

The dads who corrected.

The dads who prayed.

The dads who kept pushing their children when their children wanted to quit.

This one’s for YOU.

💡 Aha Moment

And then it hit me.

The father in that video could have grabbed the weight himself.

He could have looked at his exhausted son and said:

“That’s enough. Let me do it for you.”

But he didn’t.

Why?

Because Dad understood something his son may not have understood at that moment:

The resistance was developing him.

Dad wasn’t trying to hurt him.

Dad was preparing him.

He didn’t remove the weight.

He stayed close enough to make sure his son wasn’t carrying it alone.

And all the while, his voice remained behind him:

“FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!”

Isn’t that something?

Sometimes a good father doesn’t make life easier for his children.

He prepares his children to handle life when it gets hard.

Dad can’t fight every battle.

Dad can’t prevent every disappointment.

Dad can’t remove every obstacle.

Dad can’t carry every weight.

And Dad can’t live his child’s life for them.

But Dad can help build something inside of them that says:

I don’t quit because things got hard.

I don’t stop because I’m tired.

I don’t collapse because resistance showed up.

I FINISH!

And Dad, even when your children become adults, don’t think your voice suddenly stops mattering.

Sometimes your grown son still needs Dad to say:

“I’m proud of you.”

Sometimes your grown daughter still needs Dad to say:

“You’ve got this.”

Sometimes they still need:

“Don’t quit.”

“Keep going.”

“FINISH!”

So to the dads who have been there:

THANK YOU!

To the dads who are learning:

KEEP GOING!

And to the dads who haven’t been there but still have an opportunity to make things right:

SHOW UP.

You can’t rewrite yesterday.

But you can decide what kind of father you’re going to be today.

Because your children don’t need a perfect Dad.

They need a Dad willing to love.

A Dad willing to learn.

A Dad willing to teach.

A Dad willing to stay.

A Dad willing to push.

And a Dad willing to stand behind them when they’re dragging the weight of life and yell:

FINISH!

FINISH!

FINISH!

“You got this!”

And when your child wonders,

“Who’s got me?”

What a beautiful thing it is for a father to be able to answer:

“I GOT YOU!

THAT’S WHY YOU GOT A DAD!”

Until your next Aha Moment,

Lauretta Scott

Founder | iPublishub-Books

Publishing with Purpose & Faith