Father's Day 2016 Reflection

Being a good dad does not come easily. It is messy, tiring, and it tests you. We live in a time when the culture implies the unimportance of dad. Fathers are not perfect, and that is okay. Show up, be strong, and be the father your family needs.

Being the kind of dad whose kids will one day remember him with fondness and joy is hard work. After all, if Shakespeare is right, 

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2, 1620 

Being the kind of dad who, although being far from perfect, still manages to love and lead his children well is no easy task.

            We have all heard or experienced “over-bearing” fathers. Maybe we need some “under-bearing” fathers. Children need fathers who are behind, beside, beneath, and going before them. Fathers need to bear up their children in a way that offers support and encouragement. They lead by example. Under-bearing fathers parent more by who they are and how they relate to their children than they do by anything else.

            If you are a Christian parent, one concern ought to be how one can make Christ the center of the home. Each family may answer that question differently, but here are some general characteristics:

1.         Joy—Every family will encounter trials and hardships, but there is no circumstance that can rob us of our joy if we know that the key to our present welfare and future destiny lies in Christ alone.         

  2.       Orderliness—As the apostle Paul says, "God is not the author of confusion but of peace" (I Corinthians 14:33).                                      

3.         Grace—A Christian home should be a safe place to mess up. Family members need to be reminded that love, not perfection, is the goal.                               

4.         Service—A Christian home is tempered and flavored with acts of kindness, respect, humility and love.                                

5.         Spiritual Disciplines—A Christ-centered home provides an environment in which every member of the family learns how to live by studying Scripture, praying and spending time in God's presence.                   

6.         God's Purposes—A Christian home is a place where the family's goals are founded upon His values and the vision for the future is consistent with His plan.