Dads and husbands (Part 4) – Fathers

For some, Fathers have been a blessing while for others, it is the exact opposite. However, in whatever category we find ourselves, does that take away who a Father is, should be or can be?  I do not think so.

I remember an example that was very instructive for me some years back as an undergraduate law student. That day in class, our law professor introduced the topic “Hearsay Evidence”. By way of example of why hearsay evidence as a general rule is inadmissible in the law court, we had a class exercise. The Professor asked the student sitting in the first seat at the front role to stand up. She gave the student a piece of information and asked that she write it down and pass it on orally. The student passed the information and every other student who the information was given kept passing it till the professor asked that they stopped. The professor stopped the exercise and requested that the last student should share what she heard with the rest of the class. Alas! The information was not the same. This example, I think has happened to many principles and even the gospel of Christ.  In the course of propagation, people have taken from it, added to it, made a mess out of it, but does this nullify the original message? I do not think so. 

The Bible in Ephesians 3:14, describes God as the “perfect father of every father in heaven and on earth. He is the one from whom all Fatherhood takes his title and derives its name”. It is this Fatherhood that Jesus came to reveal (John 1:18). This is why the Fatherhood of God as revealed in the face of Jesus is the standard example. 

The one who initiated this concept of Fatherhood taught us how to be Fathers and also empowered us with his spirit to be. This is why every man in Christ has the capacity to learn from God how to be a father. It does not matter whether he has biological children or not. It does not matter what terrible examples he has experienced or even demonstrated. With God, there is always room to begin again. To surrender all at the feet of Jesus and learn of him. He teaches by his word, his spirit and with men. He teaches that we train up our children in the way that they should go. Not our way, but the way of Christ, for Christ is the way.

Also, our heavenly Father teaches us how to relate and respond to our earthly Fathers who though we did not choose, but in choosing God to be our Father we can enjoy the relationship he gives us. He teaches us to love. In this love, we find and give forgiveness and the ability to be without offence such that irrespective of who our Fathers are, we do not make the mistake of living for them, giving up on Fatherhood or viewing other men through their lens.

To be continued…