Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there! Being a “good” Father is hard work and most of us are ill prepared for the role. The Bible gives us lots of great guidance but it does not address specific situations like when should our kids get their own cell phone, or how old should they be before they start dating. Most of our decisions will be subjective and different for each child, and much of this leaves us hoping we made the right choice.
I did not have a good Father. I say that not to bash my birth father but to say I had no clue what a good Father looked like – I just knew what a bad one looked like. So that left a lot of things unknown starting the day my daughter was born. I wasn’t much smarter by the time my son was born because apparently girls are different from boys.
So what does a GOOD Father look like?
I think my brother Tom Hunt and my friend Bill Selvig are great examples of good Fathers, but the best example I have seen is in my Heavenly Father. As a child, I learned not to make my birth Father mad. Just stay out of his way and I’ll be LESS likely to get in trouble. This was also how I viewed my Heavenly Father. As long as I was not murdering someone, I was doing okay. I did a lot of stupid stuff in my life but since lightning bolts had not struck me dead, I figure I had not made him too mad.
It wasn’t until my early 30s that I truly understood my Heavenly Father loves me so much and wants me to follow His example. I did not do this to avoid trouble, but because my Heavenly Father has so much He wants to do in my life that I want to free GOD up to have full rein in my life and accomplish all He has planned.
This led me to want to understand my Heavenly Father more, his standards for living and serving others, and his love for me. Not that I don’t still make mistakes but GOD is a good Father, full of grace and mercy, and He forgives me and restores me when I fall short of His expectations of me. (Like a good Father does.)
I love when someone tells me “You’re a Good Father.” Not that this happens every day, but when it does I feel proud. I have seen these compliments come for two main reasons; because of my actions or the action of my children. In the same way the world will see we have a good Father in Heaven by what HE does and by what we do.
When people see how we face the challenges of life and respond as a child of GOD, they know we have a good Father. If we trust Him in the hard times and praise Him in the good times, the world knows we have a good Father who provides in all things. When we behave in a way that honors GOD and lives out the character and values that GOD cares about, people see we have a good Father who taught us well.
We Never Stop Being a Good Father
No matter how old my kids get, I will always be their Father. We will always need our Heavenly Father as we grow older and our needs change. Take time to check in with GOD each day to see how you are doing and listen to His wisdom. Being an obedient son requires we know what our Father wants of us, that we follow His example, and that we seek Him daily as we face the challenges of life. GOD is honored when we call Him Daddy and reach out for His unfailing love.
This is what I think a good Father is like. What do you think? Share your comments below.
Robert Hunt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthuntceo/
* The DFW Technology Prayer Breakfast is an annual event that brings people in the Technology Community together to see how a faith in Jesus Christ has changed our lives. We want to encourage you to live out your faith boldly at work and home so that the world will “see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Become a Table Host today, reach out to those around you need to know more about the love of our Heavenly Father, and invite them to sit at your table at the Irving Convention Center. Get more information on our Table Host page.
Very nice
Bill Wallace – Success North Dallas – [email protected] – (214) 686-7778
Very well written. We have a great example in our father, I strive to be more like him daily. I teach my children how much he loves us and show them all the love I am able as well. Thank you for sharing, what a great read.
Lovely article bridging the example our heavenly Father gives for us as men and fathers. Thanks for sharing Robert!