The Importance of Fathers
There is no doubt that fathers play an important role in the lives of their children. I know my own father was someone who helped to shape the person that I came to be. Fathers help to guide their children, teach them, encourage them, and be active in the lives of their children. For those men that are born-again believers raising sons and daughters it is important to have a baseline on how they should interact with their children. For a Christian father, it is important for them to lean on God for guidance in how to raise the children that He has given to these earthly parents.
For today’s post, as we come upon the day that Americans celebrate their fathers, I feel that it is important to look at some of the characteristics that God the Father has that earthly fathers should strive to emulate.
“Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13. The very first thing to discuss is that God is compassionate. This is seen over and over again in the Bible as God shows compassion on the town of Nineveh who repented their ways (the book of Jonah), God showed compassion on Lot and sent angels to tell him and his family to leave Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), and the most important way that God showed compassion is by sending His Son to die for us so that we may be reconciled to Him (John 3:16).
There are many traits within the word “compassionate” that can be seen throughout God’s actions in the Bible. These traits include, slow to anger (Exodus 34:6), gracious (Psalm 103:8), loving (Lamentations 3:22), and merciful (James 5:11) to only name a few traits that describe our Heavenly Father’s compassion. These are traits that earthly fathers should show to their children as well.
Matthew 6:25-32 is probable one of my favorite descriptions of the characteristics of our Heavenly Father, “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” In this passage we see that God is aware of what we will need and will provide for us. We do not need to be worried about challenges that we face because God is with us and will give us the things that we need. For earthly fathers, do not withhold good things from your children but understand that sometimes the good things are not material possessions. Be there to advise your children and show them how a life spent leaning on the Lord is lived.
One thing to keep in mind however, is that God the Father while compassionate and giving good things to His children is also a God of discipline. “My son, do not reject the [a]discipline of the LORD Or loathe His rebuke, 12 For whom the LORD loves He disciplines, Just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:11-12. Earthly fathers do not stand idly by if you see your children walking down a path that you know will only lead to them getting hurt. Step in and correct them, and that includes disciplining them. No one likes being disciplined, but as a father it is your responsibility to correct the behaviors in your children. Do not shy away from this responsibility.
I do want to point out one thing here. I have been referring to fathers all throughout this post, however, do not believe that these traits are only seen in biological fathers to their biological children. The Bible has a great example of how a stepfather can still play a role in the lives of the children that have been entrusted to him. For those men who are stepfathers or even in a fatherly role for a child, these traits should still be seen in you. Remember, Jesus Christ had an earthly stepfather who took on a fatherly role to Him. Joseph was not Jesus’s biological father, and yet he was still an active part in raising the Son of God. We can see how much Jesus cared for His earthly father in that He eventually took on the same career as Joseph, a carpenter. For those men who have been entrusted with children either biological or not, you still hold an impact on the lives of those children. I hope that you will lean on the Heavenly Father and strive to show the same characteristics that He shows to all His children.
Seek the truth and encourage one another
Alex