A Good Father: History of Father'S Day
A Good Father: History of Father'S Day
A Good Father: History of Father'S Day
INTRODUCTION
Father's Day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart
Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19,
1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised
his six children there.
WHO IS A FATHER?
1. a male parent
7. the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etc father of the bar
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FATHER
He is protective: ...
Faithful
Reliable
Positive examples
Being a father means raising your children in to respectable adults by teaching and being actively
involved in their lives. A father is a role model and a hero. He is a strong shoulder to cry on and
someone to lift you up in your successes. Being a father is all these things and more.
“Where did I go wrong?” This question tormented Michael, * from South Africa. As hard as he
had tried to be a good father, every time he thought about his wayward 19-year-old son, he
wondered if he could have been a better parent.
In contrast, Terry, who lives in Spain, seems to have succeeded as a father. His son, Andrew,
says: “Many of my earliest memories of my dad are of him reading to me, playing with me, and
taking me on trips where he and I could spend time alone. He made learning fun.”
Admittedly, it is not easy to be a good father. But there are basic principles that can help. Many
fathers have found that they and their families benefit when they follow the wisdom found in the
Bible. Let us consider some of the Bible’s practical advice that can help fathers.
As a father, how do you show your children that they are important to you? Surely there are
many things you do for your children, including the sacrifices you make to feed them and
provide them with an adequate home. You would not do such things if your children were not
important to you. Yet, if you do not spend significant amounts of time with your children, they
might conclude that you care more for other things, such as your job, your friends, or your
hobbies, than you do for them.
When should a father begin to spend time with his children? A mother begins to form a bond
with her child while it is still in the womb. Some 16 weeks after conception, an unborn baby
might begin to hear. At this stage a father too can start to build his unique relationship with his
unborn child. He can listen to the baby’s heartbeat, feel it kick, talk to it, and sing to it.
Bible Principle: In Bible times men were personally involved in the education of their children.
Fathers were encouraged to spend time with their children on a regular basis, as is made evident
by the Bible’s words at:
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, which say: “These words that I am commanding you today must prove
to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you
sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get
up.”
In order to communicate effectively with your children, you must be a careful listener. You need
to cultivate the ability to listen without overreacting.
If your children think that you will lose your temper quickly and be judgmental, they will have
little incentive to express their inner feelings to you. But if you listen to them calmly, you will
show that you are genuinely interested in them. They will in turn be far more likely to share their
precious thoughts and feelings with you.
Bible Principle: The practical wisdom found in the Bible has proved to be beneficial in many
aspects of daily life.
For instance, the Bible says: In James 1:19 “Every man must be swift about hearing, slow
about speaking, slow about wrath.”
Fathers who apply this Bible principle are able to communicate better with their children.
3. GIVE LOVING DISCIPLINE AND COMMENDATION
Even when you feel frustrated or angry, the discipline you administer should be an expression of
loving concern for the long-term welfare of your child. It includes advice, correction, education,
and chastisement when needed.
Furthermore, discipline is much more effective when a father commends his children regularly.
An ancient proverb says: “As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time
for it.” (Proverbs 25:11) Commendation enriches a child’s character. Children blossom when
they are acknowledged and appreciated. A father who looks for opportunities to give
commendation will help to build confidence in his children and motivate them not to give up
trying to do what is right.
Bible Principle: Colossians 3:21 “You fathers, do not be exasperating (provoke) your
children, so that they do not become downhearted (discouraged).”
The way a father exercises his role as a husband is certain to affect children. One group of
experts on child development explains: “One of the best things a father can do for his children is
to respect their mother. A father and mother who respect each other and let their children know
it provide a secure environment for them.”—The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy
Development of Children. *
Bible Principle: Ephesians 5:25. Husband love your wife, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for her.
33. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let
wife see see that she respects her husband
5. APPLY GOD’S PRACTICAL WISDOM
Fathers who have heartfelt love for God can give their children a most precious heritage—an
intimate relationship with their heavenly Father.
After decades of hard work raising six children, Antonio, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, received
the following note from one of his daughters: “Dear Dad, I just wanted to thank you for raising
me to love Jehovah God, my neighbor, and myself—that is, to be a well-rounded individual. You
showed me that you love Jehovah and that you care about me personally. Thank you, Dad, for
putting Jehovah first in your life and for treating your children as gifts from God!”
Bible Principle: Deuteronomy 6:5- 6. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your strength.
6. And these words which I command you today must be in your heart.
It is obvious that there is more involved in fatherhood than these five points and that,
realistically, even when you try your best to be a good father, you are not going to be a perfect
one. But to the extent that you apply these principles in a loving and balanced way, you really
can be a good father.
One day Jesus told a story that is probably the most appreciated story in the entire Bible. It has
come to be known as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.” We find it recorded in Luke 15:11-32.
One of the most beloved stories that Jesus told. Many have identified with his need for mercy
after his excursion into arrogance and stupidity.
By focusing on the prodigal son, however, we miss the central lesson of the parable. The central
character in this story is not the son, but the father. Perhaps if we called it the Parable of the
Incredible Father we’d find it easier to focus on the portrait Jesus painted of him.
He is like no father you have ever known and with Father’s Day approaching, it might be an
appropriate time to reexamine this familiar story from an unfamiliar angle.
There are two sons in this story, not one. And neither one of them had a loving relationship with
their father.
1. The younger son saw him only as a conduit to his own pleasures,
2. The elder as a taskmaster that made him serve in the fields.
While they were both in the house, neither was at home in his love.
The actions of the father throughout are shocking. His arrogant son dishonored him by asking for
his inheritance while his father was still alive. Rather than force his son to stay and deepen his
hostility, the father gave him his share and let him go. The son squandered his inheritance on his
own pleasures and ended up destitute and alone.
All the while the Father waited. Parents who have watched their sons or daughters make bad
choices know that waiting is far more difficult than prodding or nagging. But wait the father did,
for a marvelous thing to happen – to let the son come to his senses.
We soon found out just how expectant that waiting was. Years later when the son returned, the
father spotted him while he was still a long way off. He had never stopped scanning the horizon
against hope that one day his boy would come home. Now the waiting was over. The father ran
to embrace him, showing him that nothing his son had done in the intervening years had
compromised that love.
Soon the older brother found out that his younger brother had come home to dad’s open arms. He
exploded in anger, refusing to come to the house and join the lavish party. When the father
approached him, he complained that he had never pursued his own aims, but had slaved tirelessly
on his dad’s farm. Though a son, he lived as a slave and saw every request of his father as an
onerous chore. On the day of his father’s greatest joy, he sought to destroy it with his own anger.
Now we know he didn’t have any better relationship with his father than his brother had had.
Though the father deeply loved both of his children, neither of them embraced that love. Jesus'
point is clear. There are two ways to run from God. We see that more easily in the younger son
who ran into rebellion, satisfying his own selfish desires.
It is harder to see it in those who run headlong into religious activities thinking they can impress
God with their commitment. They slave away for him only because they fear the consequences if
they don't. Like the Pharisees Jesus told this story to, they feel justified by their anger at more
obvious sins of others. But they, too, never come to realize the depth of God’s love for them.
All that the father wanted both of them to know was how deeply they were loved. It wasn’t their
obedience he wanted most, but their affection. As a parent of adult children, I understand that.
There’s nothing I prize more with my children than those moments when we share the honesty
and intimacy of friendship. When they know I love them, and they respond in love with me,
there’s nothing better.
God feels the same way about you. He's not interested in your service or sacrifice. He only wants
you to know how much you are loved, hoping that you will choose to love him in return.
Understand that, and everything else about your life will fall into place; miss that, and nothing
else will make any difference.
CONCLUSION