- Content: Being a Dad Taught Matthew West This About God’s Love
By Movieguide® Contributor
In a special Father’s Day episode of his podcast, hosted by his wife Emily, Matthew West shared his heart for fatherhood and the biggest lessons he learned from being a parent.
“I think the first thing that comes to mind is that [my daughters] have taught me about the heart of God. So I feel like being a dad to LuLu and Delaney has shown me so much about the heart of our heavenly Father towards us as children,” West said when asked what parenting has taught him. “Like, I think it’s just increased my capacity to understand – even though we can never fully fathom the depths of God’s love for His children, for us – like, being a dad and like plunging into these crazy depths of love for our kids shows me more about the heart of a father.”
“It shows me, you know, just the way that I would drop everything just to be with them, that’s how God is with us. So I feel like there’s been so many times in life that I’ve thought about the love that I have for my kids and the relationship I want to have with them, and the Lord’s used that to show me about what kind of relationship He wants to have with me.”
Being a parent has also taught West how to move beyond the selfish desires that he has as he refocuses himself on caring for the needs of his wife and kids.
“I think having our girls has made me a better man,” West said. “I always say, like, getting married was the first slap in the face – not from you – but like, getting married, one of the components of getting married is like, ‘Wake up. It’s not about you.’ There’s just like somebody smacking you going, ‘It ain’t about you anymore.’ Because when you’re single you’re so focused on [yourself].”
“And then, having kids was like the slap on the other cheek, going, ‘Hey, guess what? It really ain’t about you.’ And so, what I’m getting at, of course, is that the selfish nature that we’ll all wrestle with in life, when all of a sudden you’re in charge of some other people. It’s a humbling thing in the best way,” he continued.
Being a parent has also taught West to emphasize Christ above all else. While the success of his daughters is important to him, West is most concerned with their relationship with Christ and that they live out their faith.
“I think similar to the way my parents raised me – their hope for me – they always communicated, ‘Hey, whatever God has planned for you in life, like, you know, we don’t care which career path you choose. All of that is second to you knowing Jesus and following Jesus.’ I mean, there is no more significant decision in life than the decision of who you’re going to serve and who you’re going to follow,” West said.
“And so, I think hopefully my kids know that I’m a father who’s proud of them regardless of what their grades are, regardless of what college they go to, regardless of what profession they choose. All of those things are [second to] my hope and prayer for them that they serve the Lord and follow His plan for their life,” he continued. “Because I know that is the path that leads to fulfillment and joy and life to the fullest – like John 10:10 – and ultimately an eternity in heaven.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Matthew West, a globally known Christian artist and father of two, reminisces about his parenting journey in his new song “18 Summers.”
“Penned by West with collaborators Jeff Pardo and AJ Pruis, the reflective tune walks through special memories with his family over the last 18 years of parenthood. The piano-backed melody is an all too relatable track about how fast time flies and shares standout moments, from Disney trips to learning how to drive and everything in between,” the Christian Beat reported.
West released the song on April 26.
“I talk a lot about the power of story, but this song is literally written in real-time in the exact chapter of the story that our family is in right now,” West told Woman’s World. “It’s graduation time. My oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate from high school, and my wife and I are both just in our feelings about that.”
“We’re dealing with all the heart feelings and emotions of, like, ‘Wow! How fast did it go? This is unbelievable.’ We just had her graduation party last night. We’re cleaning up after the party today—I can’t believe how fast it’s gone.”
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