Males are complicated creatures (whether
females believe it or not). Some males are readily visible (or vocal) with how
they feel. For others, it may take some investigating to find out what’s below
the surface of how they feel. For most men that are fathers (like me),
fatherhood is an important part of their life, and is not taken on a surface
level. My daughter, Allena, has stirred up more emotions in me than I felt were
ever possible in this stage of my manhood.
Let me ask you an important question (no
matter whether you are male or female): “What was your relationship like with
the man you recognized as your father?” Was it a blessing to you, or a burden
to your development as a human being? When you think of your relationship to
your heavenly Father, are the two almost
identical? Chances are they mirror each other.
That’s a scary thought to me. I am willing to
admit as a father that I have not always been the loving Christ-like example
that I needed to be. Adjectives that have been descriptive of my emotions (past
and present) are sullen, angry, and vindictive. Hopefully, anything good my
daughter got from me; Jesus was part of it.
As her father, I want Allena’s relationship
with God to be stronger (and more intimate) than mine is. Fathers, if a child’s
viewpoint of God is based on how they see you. Fathers, what divine message are
you giving them, and will they be a stumbling block or a source of hope for the
rest of their life? It is never to late to make changes in you (if it needs to
happen).[i]
[i] This post is dedicated to my own father, Robert E.
Kinker, pictured below with my mother (as dating teenagers).
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