This year, Father’s Day has a new dimension for me. For the first time ever, in addition to celebrating my father on Father’s Day, I myself am now an expecting father. For me, it’s a season of reflection as I look back over my own childhood and look forward to raising a child of my own. As I grow older, I have come to appreciate more and more just what a blessing it is to have a godly father. I’m thankful for my father and the many, many things he has modeled well for me when it comes to being a godly father. So, although I have no personal experience of being a father yet, I want to offer three biblical reflections on fatherhood this Father’s Day. They may sound familiar to you, because we made three similar observations about motherhood a number of weeks ago on Mother’s Day.

First, fatherhood is God’s design. When he created the world, God designed humans to exist as two complimentary yet distinct counterparts: male and female. Men and women are both equal in value, and both are created in the image of God. Fatherhood and motherhood are corresponding realities that arise from the foundational reality of male and female. So while there is much overlap between motherhood and fatherhood, they are not identical in every respect. Fatherhood is part of God’s design for the home and the family. 

Second, fatherhood is good. God’s design and plan for our lives is always best. No doubt it is hard (as I’m sure I will soon find out!) but fatherhood is a good thing because it is part of God’s plan. And good things in life are seldom easy. So, fathers, do not grow weary in doing good, but remember that fatherhood is good because it is part of God’s design for the family. Nevertheless, good things that are corrupted by sin become terrible perversions of what God intended those good things to be, and this is also true of fatherhood. Therefore, although God’s design for fatherhood is good, we must not fail to see the next and final point.

Third, fatherhood is for the glory of God. We are to do everything that we do for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), but if you are a father, then God’s calling on your life is inseparable from the calling to fulfill that role in a way that brings glory to the Lord. Never think that your role as a father is unconnected from your growth in Christlikeness. The way you strive to be a godly father to your children is one key avenue for you to glorify and serve the Lord and it has incredible potential to bring glory to the Lord. So to all the fathers in our church, lean on God for strength and wisdom to fulfill this good put challenging part of his plan for your life in a way that honors and glorifies him.