Growing up as a child in a large Latino family, it didn’t take us kids long to learn that our father was the boss of our home. Don’t get me wrong, all us siblings feared and respected our mother but it was totally understood by all us kids that our father wore the pants in our home.

Maybe because it was a different time back then but you would never think of being disrespectful to your parents, especially to your father. Though all of us 6 kids at one time or another were disrespectful to our father in some way, it never ended well for us.

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home per say, but both my parents loved the Lord and were extremely faithful to make sure us kids went to mass every Sunday whether we liked going or not. Our parents, especially our father, set the example that God was to be first in our life.

The love I had for my mother was a tender type of love and I would do just about anything if someone tried to hurt or disrespect her in any way. The love I had for my father was more of a respectful love.

Our father really struggled showing us kids love for his own father did a horrible job in raising my father, Yet all I ever heard my father say about his own father was how he wished his father knew how much he loved him. It broke my heart hearing my father say that.

On June 21st we will be celebrating Father’s Day. I’ve heard many sad stories from both men and women of how they never had the love they so dearly wished they wanted from their earthly fathers. the damage from that ran very deep in their hearts.

I never knew how important the role of father was until I became a father myself. As I said my father wasn’t a very loving touchy father growing up. My father was a hard worker and did all he could so we would have some food on the table, a roof over our heads and clothes on our bodies. I’ve since come to know that was my father’s way of showing how much he loved us.

Being a father is not an easy task and many Christian men, myself included, struggle in being that good father to their children. I have and continue to make horrible mistakes raising our children and I wished I could have a thousand do-overs but I can’t. What I have done is tell my children I am sorry for my failures and constantly seek their prayers.

TV shows today are constantly portraying the role of fathers as a dumb, unwise person who are only good for a joke and some money.

When I officiate at a wedding I always emphasize to the groom the importance of being a father if he and wife so choose to have children. The Scripture says the role of Christian fathers is bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Let’s be clear of one thing, it never says fathers would be perfect and they will need lots of prayer and encouragement from their wives and their children.

The church today desperately needs men and fathers to step up but because so often all fathers/men hear is how bad they are doing things, so many men feel why even try! Any man can father a child but it takes a special man to be a father!

A father that looks to please his Lord in all he does and is the first one to say I am sorry when he makes mistakes is what we need more of in the home and what the Lord desires.

Christian dads, if your father is long gone and was not a good example for you, it’s never too late to  pick up the mantle and make things right in your home. Wives and children, love your husbands and fathers and make sure you are always encouraging them for they have a tough job ahead of them!

In closing, let me wish all the fathers out there a very blessed and wonderful Father’s Day!! I believe the Lord would want to say to you that He loves you and so desires to use you in your family, in the lives of your children and the life of the church!!!

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash