Fathers are so Important

Fathers are very important in society. Without them and mothers, society cannot function. All fathers must take the leadership role in the family although this is not the case in many families, including Christian ones. God put them in charge and the mothers are second in command. When the father relinquishes his command or the mother usurps it the family suffers. Any time the ordained order of anything is altered the results are always negative. Fathers, with their inherent strength, are the protectors of the tribe. Fathers have built homes and worked hard to ensure their families have better lives at a time when mothers are bearing children and nurturing them.

Fathers are to sacrificially love our children. We demonstrate to our children that we care for them by making them a priority. Cultivating relationships with each child requires time, discipline and intentionality. Each child needs to know with absolute certainty that we love them. Spending time with them goes a long way toward making them feel protected and loved.

We all incur wounds at the hands of our fathers. Even the best fathers have their shortcomings, leaving some sort of painful memory in the minds of their child that at some point bubbles to the surface. But what does a good father look like? What roles does he fulfill? It's interesting how the roles of an earthly father parallel those of our heavenly Father.

It the father's responsibility to support the family as head of the household. He should fulfill his responsibilities to keep the family functioning in a positive manner. A father should protect his family by providing proper food, clothes and shelter.

"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever".  (1 Timothy 5:8).

A father has these important functions:

Protector - This role encompasses our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual protection. As children we particularly need protection, and we need to have our values, purities, and our honor protected into adulthood. A father not only protects his children from harm, but protects their hearts and minds as well.

Provider - This is perhaps one of our more instinctual roles of a father. A father initially provides necessities. He also creates an environment for growth through love and encouragement. We look to our fathers to provide for us what we may not be able to provide for ourselves while teaching us how to eventually become independent.

Counselor - A father is a guide. He directs his children toward the path in life that promises to fit them best. A father who has his child's best interest in mind will gain the trust of his child as a counselor.

Friend - It is said that a child learns how to interact with others on the lap of a father. We seek a sort of friendship with our father that teaches us what friendship is. A healthy friendship with a father gives us boundaries and helps us understand what is safe and what is not. If your father failed you in any of these roles, then you will be searching to compensate for that deficiency in other relationships.

If your father failed to give you a good model, then you will have to work hard to compensate for that poor modeling as you raise your own children. We tend to do what we've seen modeled.

Many men are overwhelmed by the responsibility of being the husbands and fathers God has called them to be. Yet we have this assurance: that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). As we ask God to empower us as men, we can give our children not just an inheritance, but a heritage. And we can give the wife what she needs most – to be loved, honored and cherished.

A father and husband should respect his wife. A husband will gain respect from his wife and from society if he is a good and responsible father. A father who cannot take care of his wife and children will be considered a failure not only in society but according to the Scriptures. The first teacher in the eyes of a child is his father. He should teach his children what is right and what is wrong. A father should be strict, as well as a trusted friend to his children.

A good father and head of the family should understand his wife and children and guide them in their difficulties. As a man's boss at work is dependent on workers for growing a company, children depend on the fathers for the growth of their lives. Children learn by setting a good example for them so that good characteristics are acquired by children hence a father sets a good example.

FATHERS ARE SO IMPORTANT. Fathers must play their rightful roles in the homes.