6 Attributes of A Good Father

The other day, I asked my dad for advice about parenting, and this is what he said:

To parent you gotta be a Father like God, a judge like Judy, a psychologist like Dobson, a teacher and tent maker like Paul, a coach like Andy Reid, a provider like Joseph, a healer like Jesus, a comforter like the Holy Spirit, an entertainer like Petra.

In other words, parenting is hard. The good news is we have the perfect example to follow. God is the perfect father. So I think we can learn a lot about parenting by looking at the way He parents. So using God's character, I want to give you

Present
Kind
Strong
Generous
Just
Consistent

Be Present

If he's not present, it doesn't matter if he's good. If you're always on your phone, if the news or ESPN is more important than your kids, the rest of the list doesn't matter. You might not always know what to do, but do something.

Does this mean you can't go to work to provide for your kids? Or that you can't go off to war? No. You don't have to always be physically present. You're not God and I'm not saying you should be a helicopter parent. In fact,

Sometimes, being present means being intentionally distant, letting them learn hard lessons through experience.

Be Kind

Does your anger and frustration ever come between you and your kids? The Bible says that God gets angry, but His anger is pointed at people who hurt His kids. To His kids, God is kind & merciful.

Be Strong

Dads, we do have a responsibility to be strong for our families. When they are weak, when they are fearful, we are courageous even when we don't feel courageous. Why? Because our strength comes from God.

Be Generous

generosity is evidence of love. If you love someone, you will sacrifice for them. Here's a crazy verse for you:

But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
I Timothy 5:8

Why? It proves there's no love in your heart. If you don't provide for your family, you don't love them. - What is the foundational act of Christianity? 'For God so loved the world that He GAVE!" Generosity is foundational to Christianity.

Be Just

We stand against injustice. Whenever possible we eradicate evil, & protect the innocent. We do what is right even when it's not popular.

The Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die
Psalm 37:28

You can't pretend at home. So if you call yourself a Christian, don’t be a hypocrite. Don't say you're good. Be good. Get caught being good.

Be Consistent

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you make a rule, enforce it. If you set a schedule, stick to it. Consistency helps to build a kid's confidence and security. So be consistent, especially in discipline.

"Consistency is the most difficult, yet most important part of parenting."
- Andrew Linder

Show Notes