Father’s Day

It was Father’s Day yesterday so I did some quick reckoning. I have been a father for about 190 years. In the next year or so I will turn 200 years of father.

There have been tough moments: serious illnesses, parenting decisions, allowing the child out with the car for the first time by themselves, the odd quarrel and so forth. There was the immense grief on the death of a child tempered by the joy that God loved him more than we did. It has been tough financially: schooling, clothing and feeding. We made the decision early that my wife would be a stay at home mum. Our thinking was that the family was more important than money. I realise that not everybody is in a position to make that decision in this era. But most of all those 190 years have been a delight.

Watching children grow into their gifts, talents and character is an amazing revelation of God’s creation. Here are six human beings that all add a different and unique perspective on life.

So I thought, how does Father God look at us? The sorrow of our sin and the joy of our faith and love must move His heart with emotions that are beyond our imagination. As His family grows in a vision of the Kingdom His fatherly pride must also grow.

As dads, we have the privilege of reflecting, in a tiny way, an aspect of the character of God. So my challenge to myself and other dads is to grow in being Godly. When our kids look at us they should get a glimpse of the fatherhood of God. Now that is a challenge!