The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Psalm 103:13
What if your only model for fatherhood is a man you never want to become?
Chris has a photo of his father. The picture shows a stern man with serious black glasses. Chris calls this picture, “mad dad.” And that’s how he remembers his abusive father. “I don’t even know how to be a good dad,” he says sadly.
Chris isn’t alone in the fear that, without intervention, we’re likely to copy our parents’ ways. That’s why God gave us examples of good fathering—and you may be surprised by what that looks like. The Bible says, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13). The father found in the Bible treats his children with care and tenderness, not angering or discouraging them (Colossians 3:21).
Biblical fathers are involved and lead their children. Reflecting how God led His people in ancient days, scripture says, “The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you … And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child” (Deuteronomy 1:30-31a). On anger, scripture is crystal clear: “Fathers do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them” and ” … do not aggravate [them], or they will become discouraged” (Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21).
God knows that fathering is hard, so He parents first. He watches us and counsels us with a “loving eye,” saying, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8 NIV). There’s good news for Chris and men everywhere: God wants to help you avoid being another “mad dad.”
