Dad's day

Well, today is father's day, and it's got me thinking a bit about being a dad (well, I am a dad already, but... you know what I mean). I was thinking about what the Bible has to say about dads:

1. Women and children need taken care of. James 1:27 tells us that those who take care of widows and orphans are considered to be truly of God. One of the primary duties of a man (dads in particular) are to provide for, love on, and take care of people, and that isn't limited to those in one's immediate family. Everyone out there needs someone to help them out, watch their back, be in their corner - this is what dads are for.

2. God is our Heavenly Father and dads are made in His image. What an honor and a calling it is for us to be made in God's image! That is true in general, but even more so for dads. Jesus, though not a dad in the sense that we're talking about here, made it his main goal to emulate what he saw his Father doing. How much more should we then strive to be like Him!

3. Dads are blessed to have kids. The Bible says in Psalm 127 that they are a reward, and dads are blessed to have "a quiver full" of them. Now I know that kids can be trying and exhausting (and I only have 1 at this point), and require a lot of sacrifice to love and care for - and that is exactly why they are a blessing: God uses kids to train us in righteousness. You can't live an independent, self-centered life when you have kids; you are (for better or worse) forced to live sacrificially and seek the best interest of others. We would all be blessed to live this way more often.

So being a dad is a big job, and it is a great honor to be one. I'm constantly challenged by the calling to be a father, but it has so many joys and rewards. I have a long way to go, but the Lord has definietly brought me a long way by His grace. Hopefully next June I'll have another child in my home which I can joyfully father.

--cale