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Key Bible Verses: And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Dig Deeper: Deuteronomy 6:1-7

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese navigator who left his native land for a risky and bold expedition that led to the discovery of the Philippines. The trip proved excruciatingly difficult.

Writing in his book The Call, Os Guinness reflects on the remarkable incident:

"Magellan was not … physically impressive …. He had no particular social status. Whatever advantages he might have lacked in one area or another, he made up for with one thing: He was a dreamer fired by an inner vision ….

"He faced many difficulties and failures, the types of circumstances that would have stopped lesser men. Whatever happened, Magellan's response was always, 'Sail on, sail on!' He never flinched. It was always, 'Sail on, sail on!' Magellan's character was far from perfect …but in his single-mindedness, his unflinching conviction, his resolute indifference either to approval or rejection, and his stubborn defiance of discouragement, defeat, and death, Magellan demonstrated the fortitude of a life in focus."

This is a worthy theme for life: Regardless of the situations we face, let us, as fathers commissioned to help our children succeed, move with courage and conviction and sail on.

—John Fuller in First-Time Dad

My Response: When I feel like a failure as a parent, I will pick myself back up, pray for God's grace-filled help, and tell myself, "Sail on!"

Thought to Apply: Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.—H. Jackson Brown Jr. (writer)

Adapted from First-Time Dad (Moody, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Father, forgive me when my expectations for my kids reflect my own definition of success rather than yours; help me to more consistently model for my family what it means to be a sincere Christ-follower.

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