LESSONS ON FATHERHOOD Pt.1

A WORTHY MODEL

One of the artisans who once worked for me spoke about how dreadful his late father was. As he told us, in the life time of his father, he was the lion of the tribe of their house whom no one could dare. He said that in death, he was still afraid to look at his father. He said children should have some fear in them.

He believe in raising children with fear as against self-confidence and genuine respect for people that stems from wholesome understanding. As far as that man is concerned, his father is a model of what fatherhood should be. Unfortunately, the wrong concept of fatherhood was modeled to him.

I have a burden in my heart for men. That men in my generation will take their place and be true fathers they are designed to be and not what culture or the society has imposed upon them. In my personal study and observation, I concluded that males need biblical mentoring on fatherhood.

One can be born as a male but it takes mentoring and training to become a true father. A male can impregnate any woman who will give birth for him but raising those children to be wholesome is what defines true fatherhood.

Ability to impregnate a woman is not what makes a man a father in context of our teaching. Raising a godly, wholesome and purposeful generation who will run with heaven's agenda on earth is what defines fatherhood.

In the bible, the fatherhood of God is worth studying because no man on earth can truly fit into the mould of a father without studying the fatherhood of God. As men, our model of fatherhood is God the father.

Jesus said, "...I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does"( Jn5:19). God the son couldn't do anything other than what he sees God the father doing. What lesson is there for us?

First, God the father is our model father. We can only understand how fatherhood should be if we study his fatherhood and pattern ours after him.

Second, we(men) in turn have to be models of true fatherhood to our sons so that they can pattern their lives after us. I once read a young man who said beating a woman is no big deal because his father did that to his mum.

One of the bane of parenting in our time is that we have many males who grew up without true father figures who will show them what true fatherhood is all about. Bad fathers will likely produce bad sons. In life, we all are product of influences, you may choose not to agree.

Unfortunately, some of the sons who had no model father are married with children but nothing in them points to true fatherhood. So many men in town but few fathers. Many women are groaning under the yoke absentee fathers. Having related with women in this category, deep down within them, they desire their sons have true father figure.

Some men are living with their children, they provide for their needs( which is fine) yet, they are absentee fathers. True fatherhood isn't all about providing for the family. After all, some women are doing that conveniently. It is about the totality of your life. The quality of life you're living.

Men, until we pattern our lives after God the father, we cannot be true models of what fatherhood is about to our children. The journey into fatherhood starts with having a genuine walk with God the father.