The Calling of Fatherhood

Fatherhood is an awesome calling. Much of what we do with our calling as fathers will affect our children all through their lives.

Consider how your father affected your life. Does the way he communicated with your mother affect the way you now communicate? The same goes for how he dealt with frustration and anger. How often do you hear words coming out of your mouth that uncannily resemble your dad’s words? How has your dad’s faith, or lack of it, affected yours? Have you felt the affects of his love in the way you love? Compare your work ethic to your father’s. How influential has your dad’s presence, or lack of presence, in your life been as you’re now called to be a father? What physical attributes, emotional capabilities, or spiritual traits do you share with your dad?

Most often we are who we are because of what we learned in our homes. We’re comfortable with what we know, and we continue in those ways. There are also times when the Lord takes negative childhood experiences and uses them positively when we’re adults.

The powerful effect--positive or negative--that our fathers have had on us is amazing. And now we are fathers who are affecting our children’s lives. What an awesome responsibility!

We need to stand in awe of this calling and ministry. Fatherhood calls for a great commitment from people who live in a world that seems to know little about that subject. Being a father takes energy and work, as do all of our relationships--and it will have a lifetime effect on our children.

Overwhelmed? Discouraged? Feel inadequate for the task? If so, know that help is not only on the way but has arrived! Our Heavenly Father points us to His Son, with whom He is one. We are called into His presence for encouragement and help for the joyful task at hand. He promises to walk with us through it all. He promised that when we commit our ways to Him, He will pour out His blessings. As we seek His kingdom first, He will place the riches of heaven at our feet.

He also calls us to find our adequacy in Christ. When we rely on our own strength in this monumental calling, we’ll find sin, failure, and inadequacy. We must keep our lives aligned with His and esteem Him for who He is. Then we find Him lifting us higher than we’ve ever been before.

He promises forgiveness to His repentant people--fathers included! With that gift, the opportunity is there to right any wrongs we may have created in the lives of our children. He is the God of reconciliation. He is the healing God of scarred relationships. He is God. That says it all.

Setting Him apart as Lord in our hearts means He will bring out His best in us. When that occurs, we will have a God-pleasing, eternal effect on our children. What a joy to go into fatherhood eternally affected by our Father and His gifts of forgiveness, grace, and power!

FATHER TO FATHER: Fatherhood is an awesome calling. You are an awesome God. I commit all that I am and have to You. In the name of Jesus I come. Amen.

This article is excerpted from the book Dad to Dad: Committed to This Awesome Calling by Tim Wesemann, published by Beacon Hill Press, 2002.