Get identity wrong and you lose influence. Jesus calls you salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13) and light of the world (5:14). When you know who you are in Christ—confidence, joy, and discipleship flow—you can steer your family from lies toward peace and purpose.

Salt: Read earlier in Matthew 5 and you’ll think being salt meant being a monk. But nah, Jesus calls you “salt,” not to hide from folks but to preserve them. Back in the day, salt kept food from rotting. Life-or-death stuff. Same deal now: your presence should keep things from decaying. Your words and habits should keep corruption from spreading in your home. Guard what enters your home. Don’t let the world influence your kids more than you do. Be the preservative.

Light: You’re called to shine light: hope and steady joy. If you do this, you’ll seem weird to some. While other dads scroll, you show up and stay engaged. You look your wife and kids in the eye. You speak life at work, at home, on the sidelines. Your light shows up in work emails, personal texts, and car rides. This isn’t fake nice or manipulation; it’s real love—truthful, kind, always there. Guard your schedule, your attitude, and choices—because with them—you point folks to Christ. Put the phone away. I know the phone is a useful tool for email—but that also makes it a tool for Satan to steal your focus for another evening. Be the light—clear, useful, and pointing to God.

7 Ways to Better Your Marriage: Most guys stand amazed when we consider how we ever got our wives to say “yes” to a proposal and “I do” at an altar. We also know inherently that we can do more to make our marriages better over time. This article offers seven practical ideas that will improve your marriage. They aren’t rocket science, but they often go undone. And now’s the perfect time to start doing them and to start seeing your marriage thrive.

IDENTITY – Outcomes: When you know who you are in Christ, everything else flows from that identity—your confidence, peace, leadership, and even how you disciple your kids. In this final episode of our identity series, we explore what’s at stake when dads live from a false identity—and the freedom that comes from anchoring your life in God’s truth. Jesus calls us salt, light, and branches on the Vine (Matt. 5:13–14; John 15:5), and that identity shapes how we lead at the dinner table, in tough moments, and through generational impact. Let God’s Word—not culture—define you.

Tim Keller: “For the Christian, identity is received, not achieved.”

John Stott: “The function of salt is to counteract decay; the function of light is to dispel darkness. That is the Christian’s calling in the world.”

Reflected Identity. Your Father is holy—salt and light. You’re called to be like Him. Your influence comes from reflected light; it’s God’s, not yours, so point people to Him. Guard against anything that dims your nearness to Him. Let His light shine over your home, church, and school.

Reflect who you are in Christ this week: read aloud one verse each day about who God says you are (Gen 1:27; Gal 2:20; Eph 2:10) and pray, “Lord, I’m Yours. Help me recognize it.” Be salt and light—serve your wife and surprise your kids—but don’t expect points later. Reflect your Father’s light. Who knows, maybe your kids will wanna do the same.

Kent Evans
Author of Don’t Bench Yourself, co-founder of Manhood Journey

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.