This is one of the primary roles of fathers as well. We are to guide our children towards better paths and brighter futures. We should stand as role models not only of how to live life, but also how to adapt to change while making the world a better place. Often, we sacrifice ourselves in ways that our children would not expect, and might never know, to give them a better chance for lives that can exceed our own.
This sacrifice is like the rising darkness that comes to great us now that the solstice has passed. It is not something to fear, just an aspect of life and change that we deal with year after year. Rather than fear the difficulties and challenges that await us as fathers, or Christians, or people, we should rise to meet them as bearers of persistence, hope, and light.