Happy Father's Day

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 

Psalm 103:13

Father’s Day will be celebrated tomorrow and I have been reading a few verses about the role of a Father. Being a father is the most awesome job a man can have and also the most mentally tiring. God put a lot of responsibility on fathers to be the example of His Son Jesus on the earth, but sadly many of us are failing miserably at our jobs. We hear of dads who abandon their wives and children or who are verbally and physically abusive. God expects dads to be the spiritual leader of the home and to also be the protector of his wife and children. That is only two jobs but there is a lot of responsibility. One of my favorite dads, Phil Dunphy (Modern Family) said “A dad should be like a rock on a stormy ocean for his children. Well a floaty rock”. A dad should be the stable foundation that his wife and children can hold onto during the storms of life. He should be the man that teaches his son how to be respectful of women and he should be the daily voice that reminds his daughter that she is beautiful and special in his eyes. And her dad’s eyes are all that should matter. She should also learn how a husband should treat her by the way he treats her mother.

Psalm 103 says, a father should have compassion on his children. I think this means that a dad should care about every part of his children’s life. He should feel a deep desire to protect his children physically, but even more importantly, he should work every day to protect them mentally and spiritually. I think a dad’s children should be constantly on his mind. Every decision a dad makes should be based on does it please God, and does it protect his children mentally and spiritually. The words he uses and the actions he takes should be based on pleasing God and protecting the one’s God has given to him.

It is estimated that there are currently 70 million children under the age of 17 in the United States representing 24 million fathers. These fathers, ranging in ages from early adulthood to senior citizen, include men who are working for minimum wage to billionaires, are high school dropouts to doctorates, and come from many nationalities and skin color. What we all have in common is the ability to change the world through our children. We have the power, regardless of community status or wealth, to create a world that is free of many of the problems we continue to pass along to our children. As fathers we have the power to rid the world of racist views because by building our child’s self esteem they will see the contents of a person’s heart and not the color of their skin. As fathers we have the power to rid the world of the vicious crimes we see in our communities because our children will value the lives of others as much as they value their own. Most important, we should ask God each day to use us to lead our children toward a relationship with Him. If we do this, our job on earth will be complete!

As we celebrate Father's Day, I am thankful for my father who taught me through his example, and for William and Sydney Love who allow me to be their father.

Happy Father's Day

Chad