A Father Worth Imitating

As father’s day approached I have done a lot of thinking, talking, and praying about what it means to be a father. Yes, anyone can genetically create offspring, but being a father, a good father, a great father, now that takes a little more intentionality and persistence. Kids are not easy, they do not come with instruction manuals and each one is completely different from every other one. They take work.

Being a good father means watching what you say and do. You are becoming the role model your daughter and son will want to imitate. They will be watching you, learning from you, even when you don’t know it is happening. The fine balance between raising your children to be honest, respectful, kind and at the same time disciplining appropriately while not hampering their ability to be creative and imaginative. It is a hard line. A balance we work on daily, if not hourly, with many, many conversations and discussions on different parenting ideas, what we are doing well and what we need work on.

The choices we make impact our children, whether they are around physically or not. This year has obviously been a challenging one for our family. Self serving decisions were made that impacted these tiny people who we love. Grace still remembers, “When just Mommy and Grace lived at the New Place” what she calls our apartment. Ironically in a very strange and dark way God got us exactly where we needed to be, where Gabe needed to be, to become a father worth imitating.

God’s timing, is it not incredibly frustrating at times, and yet after the fact it some how beautifully makes sense? I was so frustrated with being pregnant while dealing with all the tragedy… and yet now I get it. Isaac is laughter sent straight from God. He was smiling when he created that little boy in my womb. What happened had to happen for Gabe to move away from being the little boy stuck in a place of neglect and emotional abuse from his childhood, and become the man, the father, our family needed.

He had to change his eye sight from earthly, selfish things and put those eyes on God. He had to realize that although his earthly father may not have been a great example of a loving, caring and engaged father, he did in fact have a Father who was everything he should be imitating and more. When we imitate our Heavenly Father, when we attempt to please Him in all aspects, we will accomplish so much more then we ever could on our own.

Although I believe God was saddened as he knew what our little family was going to go through this year… I also think he was so excited to call this lost son home. Gabe, I know without a doubt God looks down at what you have been able to do, how you have turned your life around and He would say without hesitation, “Son, I am pleased”

Happy Father’s Day Gabe. Yes this year you made some major bad choices, but you also took them and became so much more then you have ever been before. This year I can honestly say that you have earned the title of father, you worked hard and you over came so much. I can’t wait to see how you continue and grow as a father.