A Father’s Sacrifice

Terry Jr and III

Three Ways Godly Fathers Demonstrate Love

            Secretly, I’ve always been fascinated by the lack of selfishness real men possess.  They take their responsibility of protector and provider seriously and without complaint.  Selflessly they sacrifice their personal desires for what is best for their family, children and other loved ones.  It is a sacrifice I consider courageous and admirable.

            The biblical character Job sacrificed on behalf of his children.  (Job 1:4-5) Now, the use of the word sacrifice in this context is a bit different.  Job went to God on behalf of his children.  After his sons and daughters would party, Job would give God a gift and ask God to forgive his children, in case they had offended God.  Admirable.

            His actions, in my opinion, align with attitude of present-day fathers who sacrifice their will, emotions, time and treasure for their children.  These fathers give themselves as a gift to their children.

Three Sacrifices of a Great Father

1.     Time.  After working all day and thinking about the family and praying to God for direction in his role as a man in his children’s lives, one way a great father sacrifices is by spending time with his children.  These small people can be demanding, energetic and a challenge to manage.  However, they also bring joy, peace and hope into the lives of men too.  Great fathers sacrifice their time by interacting with their children.  In fact, this sacrifice helps a man to maintain a sense of peace and proper focus on what is important in life.

2.     Emotions.  Men have feelings.  They have an emotional response to life.  Parenting children comes with feelings of love, warmth, joy, frustration, confusion, worry, etc.  Great fathers push their feelings to the side and pursue a course of action that will benefit their children.  They sacrifice how they feel in order to do God’s will in their child’s life.  Many times, this can’t be easy.  No one wants to watch their child cry because they had to correct their unruly behavior or enforce a rule.  But great fathers do it anyway, in moderation, to help the child function well in life.

3.     Will.  Great fathers do what has to be done.  They earn the money, share the money, take the family on trips, clothe the children, and provide food on the table and much more.  They handle their responsibilities.  Instead of pursuing the purchase of a new motorcycle or tickets to a Super Bowl game, they make sure their children’s needs are met before they pursue their own personal agendas.  They sacrifice their will.  They give themselves as a gift to their children, as often as possible, because it is right, responsible and honorable.  It is part of God’s plan for the family.

Michael, Sr and Jr.

Responsible parenting isn’t always easy.  It is an investment of ourselves into the lives of people we brought into the world.  There are many men who are fully invested in their role as a parent and we can tell because their behavior demonstrates good parenting.  They don’t just talk about it, they do it.

            Honor the father figures in your life today.  Enjoy their presence and salute the emotional, financial, spiritual and physical sacrifices they have made on your behalf.