Have you been debating what to give your family for Christmas this year? As Pastor Andy Coats was preaching today on Isaiah 9:6, “Hope Has a Name: Everlasting Father”, I couldn’t help but let his words ring in my ears.
“…that’s why it is so important for men to be involved in their kid’s lives as Godly fathers.”
In our ReEngage class we learned the closest you may ever experience the love of God through a person on earth is through your spouse.
Why?
Because marriage is a relationship where you cannot hide. Eventually your sins and flaws will pop out, and you have a choice. If you’re able to openly communicate, even your greatest faults and mistakes, and show and be shown grace and forgiveness, your marriage will survive.
I pondered that as I pondered Andy’s words related to children.
Growing up, the way we model our love and parenting for them is directly related to how they see Christ. It would be mighty hard for a child to understand how God can love them unconditionally if they’re never shown it through their own parents.
As our Everlasting Father, we know we can trust God to lead, guide, shepherd, protect, provide, forgive, and love us.
When we do self reflection, can our kids say the same thing about us? How do we model those same virtues for our children?
Sometimes we see fathers (and mothers) who are better described as distant, hurtful, prideful, unreliable, cruel, selfish, or only capable of giving conditional love.
There are areas I know I can work on, and I know the single best gift I can give my kiddo this year is exactly that gift. The gift of working on me to be a parent who is more present and who lives and loves the way Christ has called me to.
