The Most Important Thing Most Men Will Do With Their Lives

There is no close second.

For most people, the most important thing they will do in their lives is have kids and raise them correctly. You aren’t going to cure cancer. You aren’t going to discover a new continent. You aren’t going to be an astronaut forging the way in bold, new frontier.

There are still missionaries who go into dangerous parts of the world and risk their lives, but let’s be honest. You probably aren’t going to be that type of missionary.

If you think that kids will hold you back and cramp your style, what exactly do you think they will hold you back from? How do you currently spend your time?

• Watching TV

• Playing video games

• Scrolling on your phone

• Working longer hours

• Hanging out with co-workers (fake friends) after work

You might cite traveling. Traveling with kids can be harder and more expensive. But what is the point of your traveling? You’ll make some nice memories, make less of an impact than the ant you accidentally stepped on in Italy, and then you will take those memories to your grave. It’s all vanity.

If you spend all of your free time volunteering at your church or at a homeless shelter or in some other service, you get a pass. But even then, that service would be so much more fun and meaningful with your kids beside you. If you have such a heart and habit for service, you could pass it on to your kids and give those habits legs and longevity.

Having children and training up the next generation is the most important thing most people can do with their lives. There is no close second. It’s the clear winner, taking off its shoes and hitting the showers long before anything else has even finished the race. The good news is that most people aren’t prepared for the joy that comes with raising children.

I came home from a trip a few weeks ago. I walked in the door, set the luggage down, turned the corner, and there were my three kids crammed together, trying to be the first to give me a hug. Our dog was prancing beside them, smacking them with his tail as they waited.

Coming home was the best part of the trip.

Beyond that, it’s not true that kids will hold back a successful man. They’re more like rocket fuel to shoot them to new heights. It’s been well documented that, on average, men who are fathers make more than childless men, anywhere from 3% to 10%. Fathers also get a longevity bump and usually live longer.

Fatherhood looks good on most men.

And you will likely accomplish more as a father than you ever could as a childless man.