Father's Day

 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction in the Lord."  -Ephesians 6:4

Fatherhood

"I am convinced that all children would be genuinely religious if they had someone to lead them rightly to God, to whom they belong....."  Rufus Jones, 1926

A decade ago when my two oldest sons were already grown, I put together the picture/writings in this frame....

The photo had been taken years before.  It is my favorite because it captures the essence of my children in their early years of bonding.  The youngest had finally come along to complete our family and all 3 were a cohesive unit as much as 3 brothers that age can be.  I didn't want them to grow up...

Click on photo to enlarge

But then I came across this from a woman who lived in the 1700's....

Click on photo to enlarge

I put it next to my bed where I would see it in the morning when I did my devotionals as a reminder that my children are not mine to keep.  They grow up, have minds and hearts of their own, lives to live, and places to go.  

We celebrate fathers tomorrow because being a father is not an easy task, if it's done well, and they deserve all the honor the day affords.  Fatherhood requires a lot of patience and wisdom....which young men haven't acquired yet by the very fact of their age.  So mistakes will be made, but if there's enough love, everything usually resolves itself by the time the child grows up.  And in today's world where fathers (and now mothers as well) spend so much time away from home the opportunity to teach by example is rare.  Gone are the days when it was the norm for children to help with the chores on the farm or in the shop alongside their parents or took on some other responsibility that contributed to the family's welfare.  A sense of belonging is often missing in today's family.  

And with less and less emphasis on the spiritual life in our society, children are often not even told about God and Jesus let alone taught to read scripture.  Fathers, and mothers, need to be paying attention to this.  They may know all the Bible stories from when they were children and not realize their own children don't know the story of Jonah and the whale or Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the little boy's five loaves and two fishes, or all the other Sunday School lessons they learned when they were little.

As Psalm 127:3 says...

Our sons, and daughters, are a heritage of the Lord--His legacy to us.  We must treat the privilege of having them for such a short time with care, so that when they are grown they will carry on in God's will.

Father, thank you for the fathers that take their responsibility seriously and who are often called upon to make sacrifices for their children, in order that they grow up to be men and women of God.

Link to scripture:  Hebrews 6:4

Take action:  10 Ways To Be a Better Dad

Time Change

I realize I need to apologize to my husband.....We were lying in bed this morning discussing whether the time change would affect when the newspaper would be delivered this morning--would the deliverer have to get up an hour earlier to get the paper here by the required 7:00 a.m.?

This led to talking about the paper route he had as a boy south of Chicago from 1955 to 1964.  He was 9 when he started and his brother was 11.  They shared the 168-customer route for two years, having to get up at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings to roll the papers and then start delivering by 5:00 a.m. on their bicycles, in the dark, in the cold Chicago snow-covered streets.  By the time he was 11 his brother had gone off to boarding school and the route was left to do by himself.  No wonder he doesn't like to walk down our steep 300-foot driveway to get our paper when it's cold and dark!  My apology is for giving you a hard time, Dear, for those times you've driven down to the street to get the paper.


It is hard to imagine there was a time when allowing a 9-year-old to be outside that time of night under those circumstances was considered OK and not child-neglect.  Times have changed.  We've come a long way as a society in caring for our children.  But at the same time we may have gone overboard in protecting them from real life.  Parents have the hard task of weighing the pros and cons of certain activities they will allow their children to participate in.   We did not encourage our boys to get jobs while still in high school.  When one of them asked to work a few hours a week we allowed it with the condition it wouldn't interfere with his education or our family time.  I know of some families where between extra curricular activities, part-time jobs, school, and social activities, the "family" is non-existent!  Peer pressure makes it difficult to go against the tide and take a stand--but it must be done if the family is to survive.  Our three sons all live in the same area an hour's drive from us.  They will get together on their own from time to time and all come home for birthday celebrations and major holidays.  I have to think it's because of the importance we put on family life when they were growing up.


Father, thank you for helping us take a stand and draw the necessary lines to keep our family intact.  It is a blessing not only to us, but to society when families stay together. 


Link to scripture:  Ephesians 6:4

Take action: Child Advocacy