This Father’s Day, our worship team, like many others, led us in the song, “Good, Good Father.”¹  How beautiful it must have sounded in the realms of Heaven, hearing strains of this song echoing from all over the world.  What a powerful truth that the enemy has tried to steal from the hearts of society as a whole.

Think about it, over the past 40 years, the media has tried to erase the remnants of fathers worth respecting.  It has presented us with examples of fathers that are foolish, clueless, outdated, and dull.  It has attacked strong fathers as being macho, selfish, or chauvinistic.  Stereotypes have been applied and enforced through television shows, lyrics, and comics strips. 

As the respect for fatherhood declined, so did the fathers.  Men began abdicating their role in droves eventually creating a generation that was dubbed, “The Fatherless Generation.”²

That’s not to say that there haven’t been some poor examples of fatherhood.  Many can attest to experiencing painful childhoods because of absent, uninvolved, or abusive fathers.  And when your father memories are fraught with pain, the idea of God being a good, good Father is foreign and unrealistic.

But the role of fatherhood was created to be an expression of love and provision throughout childhood as well as one of guidance and wisdom for life.  It was originated by our Heavenly Father when He breathed His very breath into Adam and when He created Adam and then Eve, in His own image.³  He spent time with them each day, walking and talking.  That is the heart of the Father!  It’s a commitment of love that allowed Jesus to walk through a tortuous death and resurrection in order to reestablish a pathway of relationship with us!

We need fathers!  We need YOU, Dads! 

We don’t need you to be perfect but present!  We need fathers who will:

• Listen to silly jokes and never-ending stories
• Paint fingernails and toenails while sipping imaginary tea
• Toss baseballs and practice dance moves
• Schedule son events and daughter dates
• Celebrate successes and rising from failures
• Work elbow to elbow in chores and homework
• Be teachable yet confident, kind yet firm
• Demonstrate generosity, integrity, and faith
• Lead, honor, and love through every season

I know, that’s a tall order, isn’t it?  But the payoff is without comparison! “The father of a righteous one rejoices greatly. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.” (Proverbs 23:24 TLV)  How does a father end up with a righteous and wise child?  By following the example of the Father of fathers!  What makes God a good, good Father?  He is loving, kind, compassionate, faithful, wise, merciful, generous, and oh, so, patient! 

You may be thinking, but He is perfect and I am not.  That’s true, but… His perfect love can flow through you–a less than perfect–but teachable father!  Trust that He loves you enough to give you all that you need to be the dad your family needs!

Dads, don’t shy away from your role!  Fathers are an integral part of God’s plan for healthy families a necessary foundation for healthy communities!  Not only do biological and blended families need their dads, but there are emotionally hungry children who need adopted dads, and spiritual orphans who long for spiritual dads.  Allow the Father’s love and character to flow through you to the next generation!  Your investment will bring dividends that far outlast your life here on earth!

Live Loved,

P.S. It’s fascinating to learn about how young bull elephants act when the male role models are missing from their lives: https://youtu.be/5gsNjI99eFE

¹Good, Good Father by Christ Tomlin, Songwriters: Anthony Brown / Pat Barrett

²The Fatherless Generation: https://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/about/

³Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7