This series of blog posts are modified from an article I wrote for the Witness about Biblical Fatherhood. You need to read the introductory post before reading this one.
The most influential work of parenting my mother ever did was to get up early and read her Bible each morning. I cannot remember a morning that she was not in her chair seeking God when I came out of my room; and that has had a greater impact on me than all the words she ever spoke.
Our children see how we respond to the Father and it shapes them. They see us respond to the Father’s desire for closeness and his authority over our lives. They see how we listen and respond to his direction. They see us pray with their mothers before making big decisions. They hear us repent when disciplined per Hebrews 12:6. They sense that we are not relying on our own abilities, but the Father’s enablement. And all of this has a profound impact on them because they are not just learning how to be adults; they are learning how to be children of God.
Most of the Biblical reference for these blog posts comes from the gospel of John because Jesus spoke so much about his Father there. Near the end he says, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father…” (John 20:17). John goes on to remark in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Galatians 4:1-7 explains that the Father sent the Son to gather more sons, giving these newly adopted children the Spirit which cries out within their hearts, “Abba! Father!”
May our fatherhood prepare our children for this glorious adoption.
