Father’s Day. I was asked lately about fathers who abandoned their families. What can the scriptures teach us?
With all of my heart, I believe that to be in Christ is to be a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This suggests that those who follow Jesus are not defined by their past.
While there is no perfect father except our God the Father, we dads have all fallen short of God’s glory. But there is good news! The Bible gives us hope. We don’t have to be locked into or held down by the sins of the past.
You and I have been set free by Christ from the slavery and clutches of same old natural and carnal ways of previous and present generations. When we believe in the goodness of God, it is easy to understand that with Him all things are possible. This has huge implications for marriage, parenting, and family life.
There is so much brokenness in families today.
God’s desire is to tell fathers that what has been true to dads who came out of the same old “same old” can also be true for them. Yes, in Christ, we can be good dads. Let’s face it: There has always been a lot of brokenness in families. If you don’t believe it, get your Bible out and read about some of the dysfunctional families who, in spite of their flaws, played such an important role in the history of God’s people.
I suggest that we spend some time mulling over the life stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Judah and Tamar, Joseph and his brothers, David and Bathsheba. We will soon come to the understanding that the world has been in disaster practically since day one. That’s an eye-opener in itself, but as Christians we know that it isn’t the end of the story. Jesus came to redeem all this dysfunction and to heal the brokenness of our family relationships. He does this because he loves us. Dads who follow Jesus become better dads.