Let’s start this blog on a personal note: My whole life changed in the moments my children were born. Nothing that came before mattered anymore and every day since they have each brought joy to my life. I cannot imagine a more fulfilling experience than knowing them, loving them and getting to know them better and better as they grow.
This coming Sunday in South Africa we will be celebrating Father’s Day in South Africa. Quite possibly you will be celebrating the same in your country since this is not an original South African idea. It is a day filled with cliched sayings about the importance of fatherhood, braais (bbq) and gifts of biltong, ties and socks. And it is a day that in general evoke more complex and often fewer positive thoughts and emotions than Mother’s Day.
Over the years in pastoral ministry, I have shared in so many people’s journey and as a result in their pain. So many times, any exploration of pain leads to childhood experiences and many of those times to a relationship with a dad. Fathers play a pivotal role in their children’s lives and when they mess up, the impact is lasting and painful. The most significant result in any pain stemming from our relationship with our dads is that it bears fruit in our relationship with our heavenly Father.
Just to be clear, I do not think dads have exclusive rights to messing up our childhoods. However, they do have the ability to be either spectacularly good or destructively hurtful.
In trying my best to be a good father, I have looked around me in earnest for good examples to follow. And often wondered how to help someone restore their relationship with their heavenly Father after negative experiences with their earthly dad. The most profound example I have found is in how God relates to his son, Jesus. I’m hoping that His example recorded in the Gospels will help you in your relationship with your children AND that it will help you in your relationship with your heavenly Father. My excitement in having this opportunity to share with you is great. I am literally typing faster – an unnatural thing for me! 😊
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