Me and My Dragon

I picked up my first Don Miller book recently. It was in the $4.99 bin at a local Christian bookstore. It was just laying there not hurting anybody. I had heard of him, but had not read any of his books or heard him speak. I was at Ben Arment‘s Story Conference the first time he really connected with me as a communicator. The book is called ‘To Own a Dragon’, and $4.99 is an acceptable level of risk. The premise is from the perspective of a guy that grew up without a Dad. The term ‘Dad’ might as well be fiction, like owning a dragon.

I grew up with a Dad. His job and life moved him away when I was 12 or 13, and then my Mom worked valiantly to play both roles, but that story is for another day. My parents were divorced, but up until I was 12 I got my Dad time in on the weekends. My Dad took me to basketball games, football games, gave me an allowance and was pretty engaged during our time together. So why does a book about a guy without a Dad resonate with me?

Early on Miller quotes a book by Dwight Eisenhour (‘At Ease: Stories I Tell To Friends’). “Eisenhour said his mother and father made an assumption that set the course of his life – that the world could be fixed of its problems if every child understood the necessity of their existence. Eisenhour knew the world needed him. If he wasn’t around somehow his family couldn’t function.”

At this stage of my life My Dragon is about the Dad that I want to be. I feel like the best gift I can give to my two boys right now is to let them know that they are both wanted and needed in my life. We have taught them that God has brought us together and allowed us to be a family. We have taught them how much God loves them, and tell them that we love them every day. But I don’t want them to feel like we live in the same house by default. I want them to feel like the reason we play games on the floor or throw the football in the backyard is because I want to, not just because I am trying to fulfill a job description.

I’m beginning to believe that one of the best legacies a Father can give his kids is to make them feel wanted.

Miller’s book has been released under a new title, called Father Fiction. I would recommend it no matter which bin/shelf you find it on.

Everyone Belongs,

Paul