I would like to be so bold as to send out a message to “fathers” everywhere. I would like to go on record as being one to emphatically state that just because a male is biologically able to play a part in creating a new life, that does not necessarily endue him to proclaim the title of “father.” Not to be rude or crass, but animals in the wild can do as much.
Being a father is more than having the title of “father.” The title of “father” is not a God-given right, it is a title that is earned.
Being a father means more than seeing a new life come into the world, and then going happily on your way to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. The major part of being a father is BEING THERE. A father needs to be there to do his part in raising his children, and to help guide the footsteps of those children on the path that they should go.
A father sets the proper example to help his children mature into well-behaved, respectable, and responsible adults that will become viable contributions, versus derelicts and menaces, to the society in which they live. He is wise enough to discern the difference between discipline and abuse, and he disciplines and corrects his children in love when needed.
A father knows what he believes, and stands firm in those beliefs. He is a man of courage, a man of discipline, a man of principle, a man of moral fortitude. He is ALWAYS THERE – not only on the bright sun shiny days, but especially on the dark and cloudy days when the storm clouds cease to roll. He does not tuck tail and run when the storm winds are raging, but rather he stands firm and is a provider and a protector during those storms.
Blessed is the man who knows and understands the difference between having the title of “father,” and actually being a father. Blessed is the man who is a devoted husband to his wife and gives his children the best gift that he can give them – to love their mother. Blessed is the man whose children honor him and love him, and use the word “father” as a term of endearment out of respect for him as their father, and not merely as a byword.
