This past weekend, many countries celebrated Father’s Day. Posts I saw on my Facebook feed and Instagram praised, honored, blessed, and elevated fathers and the impact they had on their children and families. Many highlighted the different qualities and traits that stood out, such as “making his children laugh”, “helping kids with homework and coaching”, “being involved in the lives of his kids”, “his kids’ hero”, “one who consistently sacrifices for his kids”, and “has consistently been a pillar of strength”.
Morning TV shows featured segments on different ways fathers could be honored, or had guests who shared about experiences with their awesome fathers or male figures who influenced and impacted their lives. Craig D. Lounsbrough’s quote on fatherhood was one of the things mentioned:
“The call of fatherhood is in fact a call of sacrifice, not in some heroic sense where a father is lifted high on some glowing pedestal with all of his sacrifices held up to the awe of those around him. Rather, it is a call that will cost him all that he has, that will be absent of accolades, where rewards will be sparse, and where he will someday find himself having spent all, but in the spending have gained everything. And this is the glory of fatherhood.”
At our church, Fellowship Church, Pastor Diana Nepstead shared on the following qualities of “High Value Men“, taking from the Biblical King David’s example, with my summary notes:
- He knows his value in God. – He knows that God is where his significance, security, and identity lie.
- He has purpose. – He knows that he was made to have an impact on his family, others, and the world.
- He manages his well-being. – He is diligent in keeping himself healthy and strong (physically, mentally, and spiritually) because he knows his effectivity is dependent on it.
- His loyalty to God is expressed in friendship. – He surrounds himself with other men who hold him accountable and help him be better each day.
- He has extreme ownership. – He refuses to “pass the buck”, nor blames others for his mistakes.
- He is a worshiper of God. – He is not afraid to show his dependence on God, Who is his Sustainer, Shield, and Refuge.
“A boy needs a father to show him how to be in the world. He needs to be given swagger, taught how to read a map so that he can recognize the roads that lead to life and the paths that lead to death, how to know what love requires, and where to find steel in the heart when life makes demands on us that are greater than we think we can endure.” –Ian Morgan Cron
“What makes a good father? A good father sets an example that his children want to follow. A good father provides for the needs of his children—both material and non-material. A good father demonstrates his love in both words and actions. A good father provides guidance in a positive fashion.” ― Rob Kozak, “Finding Fatherhood”
Father’s Day has come and gone. Yet, my prayer for every father who is reading this is this: may we all reflect the Lord’s “good and perfect” Father’s heart, as we raise our own kids.
Godspeed us all on this journey!
