I walk into a room and am swamped by the paparazzi, I get bombarded by questions and have to wade through the grasping hands to get anywhere. As I leave, I have people running after me, declaring their love for me. In the eyes of the beholders, I am rich and famous.
My children are a delight (most of the time) and their response to me heading to work for the day or getting back at the end of the day is a blessing. In their eyes, I am rich and a star.
By no means (according to the standard of the Western world) am I either rich or famous, but to those I care for the most, this is a status I am privileged to hold.
I am definitely not a perfect father or husband, but thanks to the grace of the Lord Jesus I am being refined as a man who loves and fears God – and this is partly revealed in parenthood.
A loving father
Unfortunately, however, there is a world out there; there are those who don't understand the concept of a loving father. These people may well be our next door neighbours, colleagues at work, or people in our church.
Statistics suggest a fatherless upbringing is the common denominator for many crimes, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty.
The answer isn't to be found in programs or government spending, and the problem shouldn't be directly aimed at individual men who have failed in their responsibilities to love and protect their family. While we are all accountable for our own actions, there is often a pattern of poor relationships that can be traced through generations.
The only true solution to solve a world in crisis without loving fathers is the transforming Word and Power of God. God can redeem any broken heart and relationship, He can pick us up from the dust and set us on a new path, and He can give us a new understanding of who we are and set us free.
I strive to live out my parenting on the foundation of the Word of God. Living out the principles and commands God gives us through His Bible is not an easy task; but thankfully all my sins have been paid for through the blood of Christ when He was nailed to the cross on Calvary.
It is especially easy to fall into the trap of following the world's idea and model of parenting. However, reading through the Bible, we (parents) are instructed to teach/train our children (Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 6-9) and discipline them (Proverbs chapter 13, verse 24).
This isn't an easy or glorious task, but necessary to help us fulfil the responsibility to point our children to the cross and the Lord Jesus. While I shared the story of glitz and glamour at the beginning, there are also the stories of my children being upset and angry because of decisions I (and my wife) have made.
However, we are to receive children as a blessing from the Lord:
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."
Unfortunately, it appears modern society is trending toward children being considered more of a curse than a blessing. Parents are spending less time with their children, and the average number of children per family has dropped. Children are also now being born to older parents.
Refined by parenthood
Raising kids isn't easy, but really it's another way for God to refine me, and all of us. My flesh remains selfish and it's easy to get frustrated with my children when the flesh has its way. Ultimately though, they are a blessing from the Lord and we must treat them as such, with words and actions.
We have a responsibility before God to raise them according to His ways, and through the transformational power of God, this can be achieved. We all mess up, but if we possess a humble and loving heart, our children will allow 'love to cover a multitude of sins'.
Tim Wilson is an Australian currently living in Canada with his wife (also a comment writer) and their three children. He is passionate about the Church living according to the Word of God and authors a blog to inspire and challenge men and women of faith. www.abrokenmanblog.com
Tim Wilson's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-wilson.html