A Forever Family - Father Day

"Qualities of Fathers"
6.21.15


Fathers are big goofy boys sometimes. We are the ones who suggest building a tree house higher, using more fire works on the 4th of July, make the biggest messes, and generally stir up trouble. But what is it that a kid really needs? A fun dad? A biblical dad? I believe that we need men who demonstrate biblical characteristics to raise a next generation of world changers. There are many qualities that a father needs, but for today's discussion I am focusing on only. five.

Quality #1 - Integrity

"The one who lives with integrity is righteous; his children who come after him will be happy." (Proverbs 20:7, HCSB) Most dads want to see their kids happy. Following this verses' model, the way to have happy kids is to be a father of integrity. It means doing what is right - consistently - being complete with one's self. A man who is seeking completeness in wrong or perverted ways cannot raise a family from a position of integrity.

Quality #2 - Generous

Being a father is a position of giving. Jesus asks these simple questions about giving good gifts in Matthew 7: "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?" God is the creator of the universe. He is also our heavenly father. As a father, he is generous to give us many things: life, laughter, food, shelter, forgiveness, and the list goes on and on. He allows us as his kids to explore and grow and develop in any way we see possible. He offers guidelines on getting the maximum out of life, but allows us to decide for ourselves. Being generous is not just about things. Many men provide materialistically for their family, but lack what kids want most - love.  And for kids, nothing spells love more than T-I-M-E. We should share our time with them. Time in play, in worship, and in learning.

Quality #3 - Teacher

We share our experience with other grown ups. Listen to an adult get together and there will be conversations on news and events, best plumber to use, what new book they are reading, but do we ever share our learning with our kids? Kids have curious minds. They will seek answers to the curiosities in life. Where do babies come from? Why is the sky blue? What does LGBT mean? The list is endless. The topics are vast. We cannot teach our kids all there is, but we can teach them what they need to know. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "start children off on the way they should go, and even when the are old they will nor turn from it." God. Jesus. The bible. Start here and teach that. The rest will fall in place once the foundation is laid.

Quality #4 - Disciplinary 

Part of teaching is discipline. Proverbs 19:18 sums it up like this: "Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death." When kids grow up we hope and pray that they find a job, earn wages, and move out. The spiritual truth is that we all earn wages of one kid or another. Paul writes in Romans 6:23 that the "wages of sin is death." We must discipline our kids to lead them away from the wages of sin and towards the life giving membership in the body of Christ. Another word about discipline: We must not embitter our children with discipline that is too much so that the kids become discouraged. Colossians 3:21 and Ephesians 6:4 remind us of this.

 Quality #5 - Appreciative 

While we are teaching and disciplining our kids, we must remind ourselves to appreciate them. Psalm 127 tells us that "children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward for him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." We work hard to have a nice house. We strive and save to get that sports car we always wanted. But do we appreciate and value the awesome gift of our kids? Do we care for them with the level of passion many of us do with our "toys"? They are infinitely more valuable! As a parent, we will one day launch our children into the world. Like an arrow, once a child is loosed, it is not possible to withdraw it. We have a limited time with them at home as small kids. We have the privilege to share life with them as adults. Appreciate your children.