Child rearing is mostly left to women today. Husbands are often viewed as the bread winner and the one who steps in only when a heavy hand is needed. They are by and large left out of the child rearing picture. But that’s not the way that God intended families to work.
The passages on raising children in the New Testament focus on the role of the Father for very specific reasons. The modern trend of neutralising the Bible to non sexist terms (such as parents) at this point needs to be resisted. While it is true that both mothers and fathers are not to discourage their children, God has a particular concern to talk to fathers.
Fathers are to be intimately involved in the raising of his children. He is a disciplinarian but also a model of the love that God the Father has for His children. Fathers are not to embitter or discourage children with their heavy handedness, or black and white approach to life. It’s not always as simple, as ‘You did something wrong so you will be punished’. Fathers are called to be fair, involved and dedicated with their children. Fathers are called to be gracious, loving and wise with their children. That wisdom and love will grow as the father grows in his own relationship with the Lord. Personally, I’ve found that my children teach me a lot about me and God in the way they treat me. As I analyse and reflect on my treatment of them, I look at God’s treatment of me and learn volumes about grace, mercy and goodness. That learning then flows though, I hope, into my relationship with my children.
Here’s a few tips to help each of us grow in our fathering :-
- Pray regularly, asking God for guidance and wisdom specifically about your fathering and relationship to each child.
- Pray for each child regularly and individually.
- Hang out with other fathers and their children to see what things they are doing. Spend father – child time together with other fathers and their children.
- Make time to talk to mature Christian fathers about the issues that are of concern to you.
- Read books on Christian parenting regularly.
Remember: Strongly loving fathers create confident, loving children.
Prayer:-
ÿ Pray that the fathers in your congregation would be men of the Word who deeply and passionately love their children. Pray that they would effectively communicate that love to their children and model the love of Christ to them.
ÿ Pray that our children would be given a desire and the ability to obey their parents. Pray that our family units would communicate Christ to a world of broken families and fractured relationships.
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