Father's day is this coming Sunday. As you probably know, my wife and I just welcomed our 2nd child into the world on June 5th. He is named Tyler Joseph and has done his part on keeping us up every night and on our toes. Father's day, then, is even more significant to me because of this life changing event.
For the last few days I have been thinking about this holiday and what kind of meaning there might be held with in it. First, fatherhood is more than passing on your DNA to children, you can do this without actually being involved in their lives. Nor is it about being an adult figure for children in your sphere of influence--it is possible to do this without practicing the art of fatherhood.
Instead, I think fatherhood is more nuanced and challenging than that. Fatherhood is, I believe, about empowering the next generation to become all that God has made them to be. It is about empowering those who come after you to be all they can become in Christ. It is not about duplicating yourself in the world, that is too arrogant.
We empower the next generation by doing two things:
For the last few days I have been thinking about this holiday and what kind of meaning there might be held with in it. First, fatherhood is more than passing on your DNA to children, you can do this without actually being involved in their lives. Nor is it about being an adult figure for children in your sphere of influence--it is possible to do this without practicing the art of fatherhood.
Instead, I think fatherhood is more nuanced and challenging than that. Fatherhood is, I believe, about empowering the next generation to become all that God has made them to be. It is about empowering those who come after you to be all they can become in Christ. It is not about duplicating yourself in the world, that is too arrogant.
We empower the next generation by doing two things:
1) Pass on wisdom you have learned
In Acts 7, Stephen is walking through the heroes of the Hebrew Scriptures. He would have grown up with these stories and reflected upon them. Each ancestor he names listened to God when it seemed their path was unlikely. In doing so they discovered something new or were transformed by God. It was this precise bit of wisdom that Stephen was living into during this speech. That is why he called his audience "Stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ear". In other words, Stephen was aware of the wisdom he wished to pass on--namely that being nudged by the Spirit into things that make no sense and then trusting in God's faithfulness by moving into the unknown path can be the greatest act of faith.
Sure, I have learned a fair number of "dad jokes" that I will try to instill into my kids. Sure, my love of soccer and games must surely be passed down, but above all else I wish to pass on the art of listening to God and reflecting on scripture. This skill, I think, will serve them far better than anything else I can teach them. This could change over time of course, but at least for now, I have a better sense of what I really do wish to pass on to them,
2) Live a life worthy of imitation
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul writes, "be imitators of me as I am of Christ." This is not the same thing as duplicating yourself in the world. Instead, Paul is urging them to follow in his steps and in doing so become like Christ. He is not asking them to be little Paul's, but rather believes that he is carving a path that is worth marking.
Like most dads, I can fall short here. By paying too much attention to my phone or not taking the time to sit and play with my kids, I tell them that adult life is too busy for them. If I am honest, that is the path I sometimes create for them. Living a life worthy of imitation is the harder of these two steps, but the far more important one. We are all being mimicked one way or another. The question to ponder is, what kind of path are you making for those who follow you?
