The Father Filter
Every year, in the month of June, we celebrate a day dedicated specifically to fathers. On this day, fathers everywhere are recognized and honored – oftentimes, regardless of whether they are deserving. But what makes someone a good father? We could engage in a plethora of endless debates over the subject, or we could simply look to the only truly Objective Standard. This “standard” is found in no other place than the Word of God. After all, what better place to formulate an idea of what a good father looks like?
While there are many places, references, and narratives that could be extremely instructive; I think that for our purposes, we will only mention three passages. Don’t worry, there is a purpose here!
“Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.”
Psalm 103:13
“The just man walketh in his integrity:
His children are blessed after him.”
Proverbs 20:7
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath:
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4
I mention these verses because I want to communicate a very specific ideal to you. Think about these verses individually. In the first verse, we see compassion and pity. In the second, we find the correlation between integrity and blessing. In the third, we see nurturing and instruction provided, with the implication of discipline. Now, we can easily show how these traits, namely, compassion, integrity, and instruction are necessities in a good earthly father.
However, there is a deeper and a greater truth to be found. And that is the fact that these are communicable attributes of God Almighty. When we look at God, we can begin to see the manners and methods in which He chooses to relate to us. Therefore, when we endure difficulty and trial, we know that God isn’t absent and unmerciful, passages like Psalm 103:13 convince us otherwise. When we feel neglected and that we have suffered unjustly, we know that God is operating with complete integrity and that we shall be blessed because of it. Finally, we are reminded that God will always work everything for our good and the things we face are meant to be utilized for our growth and development. Everything in life is Father Filtered.