"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11)
God enjoys being Father to all who believe in Christ. It's His delight to lavish His love on all of us. If He didn't enjoy it, He wouldn't do it. That's our God - a Father whose love knows no end (see Romans 8:31-39).
Christian fathers are given this wonderful privilege to experience being a father, just like our Father in heaven. They get to share in the fulfilling responsibility of raising kids, the rewarding responsibility to provide for their family's needs, and the wonderful joy of being a husband to a God-given wife and a father to God-given children.
Isn't that wonderful?
Dear dads, I am writing this to encourage you. Here are a few things you should keep in mind as a father.
1) God has given you the privilege of feeling what He feels as Father to us
Every earthly father gets a glimpse of how God feels - many of them without realizing it.
God sees every person on earth and loves them all. In fact, God's love for us is so great, He sent His one and only Son to bridge the gap between us and Him. He wanted us to be reconciled with Him, and make us His children. He wants to lavish His love on us.
Dads, you are given the privilege to feel that kind of love. When you see your children and want to give them so much love, you'll understand what God wants to do to you. Cherish it.
2) God has given you the responsibility of being a faithful husband to your wife and a faithful father to your kids
You may or may not realize it, but God has divinely entrusted your wife and kids to you. You didn't become a husband and father by chance or by accident.
The word "entrust" may literally mean to "assign the responsibility for doing something to someone," but it involves so much more. The one who entrusts something to someone trusts that person to be able to do what is asked.
God trusts in you to take care of your wife and children (all of who happens to be His children too, if they are in Christ.). You are not incompetent and worthless, no matter your failures. The fact that God entrusted them to you means that you should take care of them in obedience to God.
3) God is willing and able to help you take care of your family
Lastly, keep in mind that when being a father becomes too difficult for you, God is willing and able to help you. He is the Father who loves you and your family, and He is willing to help you.
When life's circumstances make it difficult for you and your family, know that you can always run to God for help (see Hebrews 4:16). You can give Him all your concerns, be it how to treat your wife right, how to raise your children, how to be the best husband and father, and where to find all your provisions.
You can tell Him all that you need. Psalm 55:22 encourages us,
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."
