Our Father
In Matthew 6, Jesus models prayer by addressing God as “Our Father in Heaven.” While God’s Fatherhood is in heaven, we have earthly fathers to teach us how to depend on our Heavenly Father. The presence of a strong earthly father in your life helps you recognize your dependence upon God.
Fathers pave paths for their children.
A good father makes a straight path in the jungles of life for his children to follow; a lesser father creates a haphazard path. Either way, a father creates a pattern that helps or hinders his children in their journey of figuring out life. While everyone makes their own choices in life, having a good father creates fewer obstacles in his children’s lives for them to overcome. Fatherhood is God’s design; thus, a fatherless child will often find a father figure to look up to and a childless father will have an urgent desire to train and lead others. Fathers, be mindful of your path — for your children will follow and be shaped by it.
Fathers take pride in their children’s success.
A father has “no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:4 (NKJV). A father has greater pride in the success and accomplishments of his children than in any of his own successes. A father encourages, rejoices, and mourns with his children as our heavenly Father encourages, rejoices, and mourns with us — be encouraged that your Father rejoices over you with great joy.