Rev Fr C Joseph
Counsellor, St Joseph’s College (Autonomous) Jakhama, Kohima
Fatherhood is a divine responsibility and a sacred calling. On this Father’s Day, we pause to appreciate and honour all fathers who play vital roles in the home, church, and society. A godly father reflects the heart of God by nurturing, leading, and protecting those under his care. Fathers are not just providers of material needs they are carriers of vision, discipline, instruction, and generational blessing. In Scripture, we find that God reveals Himself as a Father-showing compassion, mercy, correction, and love. This sets the standard for earthly fathers. A father is meant to be a mentor, a model, and a moral compass for the home. His presence brings stability; his words carry authority; and his example shapes destinies. Fathers are God’s delegated heads of homes and they play an irreplaceable role in the spiritual and emotional health of their families. The world today faces a crisis of fatherlessness. Many homes suffer from the absence or passivity of fathers. This makes it all the more important for godly fathers to rise and take their rightful place. As we honour them today, may fathers be inspired, encouraged, and equipped to fulfil their calling with grace and strength.
"Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you," Exodus 20:12. Honouring your father is not based on whether your dad deserves it or has earned your respect. As we see this listed among the Ten Commandments, honouring your father is based on whether or not you choose to obey God’s word over your own thinking and feelings. By honouring your father, you’re really honouring God. Because He has directed you to respect your dad, you are submitting to His will and trusting in God’s wisdom over your own will and understanding. Genesis 1:27 describes how “God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Despite your father’s parenting history, he is created in the image of God. Like you are priceless to God, so is your father. When it’s difficult to honour your father, remember God’s love for him. Jesus died for your sins as well as for your father’s sins. Scripture states that through your father, God gave your life (Proverbs 23:22).Hopefully you can take great joy in your dad, but if your father let you down in life you may feel differently. If so, rather than focusing on the ways he disappointed you, try to concentrate on how God gave your life through him. No matter the circumstances of your conception, and despite your father’s brokenness, weakness, and failings, God gave your life and you are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” Psalm 139:14.When you respect God’s gift of life to you through your father, you are honouring God. As the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), God knows how important a father is to a child. God’s will for your earthly father was to love you the way He loves you-as a dearly loved child (Ephesians 5:1).You are valuable to God (Matthew 6:26), and He urges fathers to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” Proverbs 22:6.However, if your father passed away, wasn’t present or involved in your life, or abandoned you; know God will be your Father. “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling,” Psalm 68:5.Find comfort in knowing God will watch over, sustain (Psalm 146:9), and defend you (Psalm 10:18).Whether your father fulfilled God’s role in your life or fell gravely short, seek to respect the fatherhood role God created. Showing honour towards your father comes with lifelong benefits. Choosing to obey God by respecting your father promises to enrich your life, which is not only valuable to you but also to your family. How you view your earthly father affects your relationship to God as your Father. If you are dishonouring your earthly dad, it may indicate rebellion and unforgiveness in your heart, keeping you from a closer relationship with God.
It’s okay to acknowledge your father’s faults, but when you do, try to remember, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven,” Luke 6:37.You may want to consider if maybe your dad did the best he knew how to do as a father. If you feel like your father got away with mistreating you and is not being held responsible for his behaviour and actions, take comfort in knowing God is just and promises to make all things right ( Revelations 21:5).Look forward to the day when God will wipe every tear from your eyes and there will be no more crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).God doesn’t excuse a father’s sinful behaviours or actions. He is the authority over your father, and He will deal with him. It’s not your responsibility to correct your dad. Scripture states, “The authorities that exist have been established by God,” Romans 13:1.Because God establishes authority, He determines where honour is due, including fathers (Malachi 1:6). Whether your father handled his authority in a godly way or not, respecting the authority God gave him isn’t based on whether he deserves it or not, but rather on you choosing to respect God who gave him the authority. When a father has failed, it’s hard not to share it with others-to let them know what he is like and reveal his true character. Leviticus 19:3 states: “Each of you must respect your mother and father” and by doing so, you are pleasing God.” If you’re interested in pleasing God, obey His Word (1 John 3:22). To go even further in bringing pleasure to Him, 1 Timothy 5:4 urges you to put your faith into practice by caring for your own family, even to the extent of repaying parents and grandparents, “for this is pleasing to God.”By respecting your father, you’re not only pleasing God, but also setting an example for your family, friends, and those around you to follow. God pays attention to a father’s prayers concerning his offspring. Scripture records how “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant,” Genesis 25:21.God heard and responded to Isaac’s prayers by not just giving him one baby, but by giving him twins! Because God put your father in a place of authority in your life, He hears and responds to his prayers for you. If you have a wonderful father in your life, honouring him comes easy. But for others, just the mention of showing your father respect may seem like an impossible undertaking for a wounded heart to fulfil. If so, look to God for His guidance. Fathers carry great responsibility, and they need our prayers, encouragement, and honour. A godly father is a treasure to his family, a blessing to his community, and a reflection of God’s heart on earth. When fathers take their spiritual place, families flourish and societies are strengthened. God is raising a generation of men who will fear Him, walk in integrity, and leave behind a godly legacy. Let us celebrate every father today and commit to raising boys who will grow into strong, wise, and spiritual fathers of tomorrow. Whether you are a biological father, a spiritual father, or a father figure, may God grace you to fulfil your role with excellence. Your labour is not in vain, and your reward will surely come.
