What does it mean to be a father? It means more than having children. It speaks of the relationship you are to have with your children, and your wife as their mother. The responsibility of a father to his children extends beyond Father’s Day, and the honor due fathers by their children should continue long after that today. Father’s Day, however, does cause us to focus on the role the father has to his family, and the honor a godly father should receive.
God is intentionally depicted to us in Scripture as a heavenly Father. He is a provider and Protector to us, who loves us and seeks only that which is best for us, which has our good at heart. He has clearly revealed His will to us, that we may know good from evil, and choose the way of life. He offers us all spiritual blessings in Jesus, and gives us assurance that He has an eternal home prepared for us after this existence is over. Sometimes He disciplines us, but only because He loves us. He wants our faith to grow in Him, for us to become more like Him, to find what life in Him has to offer. His greatest joy is in our relationship with Him.
Our heavenly Father exemplifies those qualities that should be found in earthly fathers. A father should be a provider and protector to his family, seeking only that which has their good at heart. His love should be exemplary, especially when he disciplines. He should want his children to make right choices, have a good life today, and look forward to eternal life. His joy should be his relationship with his family.
A father’s legacy is not the material possessions (house, car, money, etc.) he leaves behind, as they are only things, and will perish. His time, character and love are gifts that will endure for generations. A father who knows the love of the heavenly Father, and seeks to imitate Him, is the kind of father needed in families today. He deserves the honor his family gives today, and everyday. “Listen to your father who gave you life…” (Proverbs 23:22).
