Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Power of a Father

Think on this…with Father’s Day approaching I am thinking about the power of a father. We need not look far to see the effects of poor examples of fatherhood. I see it often as a minister. There are many people that come to me for pastoral care that are dealing with issues stemming from their dads. Some people struggle with abusive dads that have destroyed their since of self worth, and left them with little esteem. Others are left trying to teach themselves lessons that should come from a father, but due to his absence they have to figure it out on there own.

Then you have the overly permissive fathers out there that either didn’t have a backbone enough, or didn’t know how to put healthy boundaries in the home. Their children have a tendency to explore so many pursuits that they can wreck their lives. There is still the adoring fathers out there that can, with great intentions smother, their children and give them the false impression that life is about them. Then when those kids grow up they run into a world that is not centered around them.

The harsh truth is that fathers have a lot of influence over who their children become. It’s not easy being a good, well-balanced dad. It takes everything you have to figure out how to show the right amount of discipline, guidance, and affection. I don’t want my son to have to deal with issues because I was ineffective in my raising him. Especially when my son will use my relationship with him as a template for his relationship with God. That’s a lot of pressure. But, I wonder how many people’s lives would be better if more fathers would wrestle with these thoughts.

Whether or not you have had an exceptional dad in your life or not its good to be grateful for positive they have done. Sometimes we need to be grateful for the areas in which our fathers were good, even if that is hard to identify. If you had no father at all(like me) then thank God for the father figures you have been able to interact with. Why? The bible says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." Malachi 4:6 You see, God cares about the fathers in our lives. Honor the men in your life that have taken on this vital challenge and responsibility...Just a thought

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