No Earthly Father is Perfect

I could feel and see the tension on the faces of many of the men in our prison Bible study. I had told them that Jesus taught us to relate to God in prayer as our Heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:9) I knew what they were thinking. For many of these men the image of “father” had a negative connotation. Today in America many children have a father who is abusive, distant, or absent. It is heart breaking to know that many children do not know the love and positive influence of a father.

As I saw and heard one young man suck in his breath at the mention of “father”, I quickly referred them to Psalm 103:13. No earthly father is perfect. We all make mistakes. Some fathers have abdicated their privileges and responsibilities as a good and loving father. But God is the perfect, loving Father. When we come to know and experience God’s compassion and mercy, we then can begin to be the father or parent He wants us to be.

Notice the character of our Heavenly Father as revealed by the psalmist David.

First – “The Lord is like a Father to His children; tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13 NLT). As we experience the tender compassion of God we as fathers should show that same tenderness and compassion to our children. We should be kind and forgive offenses. (Ephesians 4:32)

Second – God is like a Father should be in righteousness, justice, and fairness. (Psalm 103:6)

Third – The Lord is like a father should be in that He is slow to get angry and is merciful. (Psalm 103:6, 9-10)

Fourth – The Lord is like a father should be in that He doesn’t hold our past mistakes against us. He forgives and forgets. (Psalm 103:12)

Fifth – The Lord is like a father should be in that he knows His children’s weaknesses and humanity but builds us up and redeems us. (Psalm 103:14-18)

I like to make “lists” – to do lists, scripture topic lists, names of God, success principles, and important dates to help me remember – these are just a few of them. My problem is that I usually can’t remember where I put the lists. I came across a great book for list lovers – Lists to Live By compiled by Gray, Stephens, and Van Diest. Here is a list from God’s Word for all parents to follow:

FAMILY RULES
> Be kind and forgive others. (Ephesians 4:32)
> Treat your body as the temple of God. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
> Husbands love your wives sacrificially. (Ephesians 5:25, 33)
> Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord and respect them. (Ephesians 5:22, 33)
> Give to God’s work. (II Corinthians 9:6-8)
> Children honor and obey your parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)
> Do not provoke your children but carefully teach them about God. (Ephesians 6:4)
> Do not be bound together with unbelievers. (II Corinthians 6:14)
> Respect those in authority. (Romans 13:1)
> Do not lie to one another. (Colossians 3:9)
> Do not use coarse, filthy language. (Ephesians 5:4)
> Do your work the best you can. (Colossians 3:23)

Fathers, the greatest way to teach and parent our children is by example. In their book How to Raise Totally Awesome Kids Dr. Chuck and Jenni Borsellino teach these life shaping principles:

* Encouragement is the fuel for a healthy sense of self-worth;

* Demonstrate unconditional love;

* Avoid comparisons – comparing your kids with others will leave them feeling depressed and discouraged;

* Separate the incident from the individual – there’s a big difference between someone who made a mistake and someone who is a mistake, between someone who told a lie and someone who is a liar;

* Recognize effort and celebrate progress;
* Avoid reliving past failures.

Fathers, have you experienced God’s tender loving mercy? “The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

Put your faith in God’s gift of grace and mercy for you. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment” (Romans 5:8-9 NLT). Jesus came to make us friends of God. (Romans 5:6-11)