Am I a good father? I can only be a good father if I had a father who modeled “good fathering” for me–right? That’s what some people think. But not everyone is privileged to grow up in a home with a good father model. The ideal is always to find a positive role model, but some young boys and men, even after diligently looking to another man to be a positive model, are discouraged to find that even that father is flawed. Sadly, every earthly father has his flaws.
So how can I be a good father? How can I learn to love perfectly, as our Heavenly Father loves–only by getting to know Him better and hanging out with Him; only by reading His best-selling book, “Godly Fathering on an Ungodly Planet” (otherwise known as The Bible).
A godly father is one who can admit his faults while desiring to be more like Jesus. As Jesus is both strong and gentle, so is a godly father. A godly father is protective of the weak and voiceless, just like our Heavenly Father is. Whether or not I myself had a “good father,” as a man I can learn from My Perfect Heavenly Father, and HE IS GOOD!
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV).
(Beth Jones’ Musings, June 15, 2008)