What is a “good” father? I like Billy Graham’s definition the best: A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.
Without fathers, where would we be?
During this current crisis in my little family, my husband has once again proven what a truly wonderful father he is. His job has always been to protect his “little” girls, and he is trying his hardest to do just that right now. Both of us want to hold tightly to our oldest daughter to prevent her from harm, but the harder we hold, the more she resists. So, we’ve had to let her go – yet, at the same time, my husband is helping to guide her through some very important steps as she asserts her independence. We have given her a strong foundation, and now the rest is up to her. As Anne Frank said, “How true Daddy’s words were when he said, ‘All children must look after their own upbringing’. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
I marvel at my husband’s wisdom. I hurt when I see him cry. I lean on him – he has been my rock through all of this. He has proven his love for our family over and over and over again throughout the years – by unselfishly giving of his time and his devotion and his blood, sweat, and tears just to provide and care for us. Never once have I heard him complain about how many hours he has to work in order to give his family what they need – security. Never once have I heard him say that his time has been wasted on being a father and a husband. Never once have I heard him say he wants to give up and just walk away. His commitment to us is unfailing, and that has allowed me and our girls to live securely in the knowledge that he will be there for us, no matter what. He’s an amazing man.
He is a godly man, and gets his strength and courage from the Lord. He prays fervently for our children, so that they make the right decisions in life and so that they follow God’s path. As we watch our oldest stray from the path which the Lord has set out for her, rather than giving up on her, her father has decided to do the right thing – even though she doesn’t appreciate it or understand it – he has decided to keep her best interests at heart even though others are not doing so. It pains him to see what she is doing right now, but ours is an unconditional love for our daughter, and we will be here when she needs us as she falls. He shows great compassion for her, as it states in Psalms 103:13 (NIV), “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” We pray that our daughter begins to feel her father’s compassion, begins to fear the Lord and start to shun the sins of selfishness and pride, and begin to make her way home to her family and her Lord. It would be the best Father’s Day gift that my husband could ever receive – a humble and contrite daughter who wants to be a member of the family again.
©2008, Valerie Wolff