As Father’s Day approaches, I came across an absolutely hilarious music video released by the band Gungor. As much as the lyric content is definitely very general, the cringe-worthy, borderline dancing has been announced as an homage to dads… Check it out below:
Dads are those people who embarrass us to no end, but we would never want them to leave. I know my dad could be the most irritating and exasperating of people in my life, but looking back all he said was valid and it was probably what made me the person I am today. Dads make us feel safe, while also taking us on the wildest of adventures.
There is little more polarising or influential in our lives than the role of a father. I am very aware of the many different experiences people tie to the word father and I want to acknowledge that life is not perfect or fair. But as we head towards Father’s Day, I think it is important to recognise the role a father plays in who we are.
It is way deeper than genetics. Looking at my own life, I realise that a father drives a lot of how you end up thinking. Dads are not just breadwinners; they are the heroes that show us what life can be. As strong as a mother can be in nurturing and disciplining, fathers are the ones that we seek to please and impress. They set the bar of what life can be through example and how they connect with their children. One of the biggest contributing factors to gang violence and crime in Africa is linked to the absence of fathers in households.
The fact is we are all made with the instinct to fashion our lives after someone and our fathers should be the closest thing to a role model we know – living and breathing, day in and day out around us. The moment we take away a father, children look elsewhere for belonging and guidance, which has resulted in gangsterism and other unhealthy lifestyles.
Fathers may be present physically, but there is a whole lot more that they do when it comes to our identity. Engaging with a father immediately sets your self-worth. Psychologically, it is the father that affirms a child’s identity sexually, emotionally, and even spiritually. The truth is, fathers are a key part of God’s plan for life.
In the perfect world, dads raise children to be secure contributors to society. But unfortunately there are many people who cannot identify with this ideal image of a father. Whether it is death, divorce, or simply being absent – one-parent households are a reality for nearly the majority of our generation. And just because a father is present does not mean that things are perfect either. Due to socio-economic factors, crises such as world wars, and cultural reasons, many fathers today haven’t been fathered themselves and have no idea how to look after their families.
Wherever you find yourself this Father’s Day, however, I believe you can still celebrate. You can celebrate the heroes that have spoken into your life or inspired you. You can celebrate the family you do have and the fact that you are going to pioneer a fathered generation yourself. You can celebrate a God who identifies Himself as the Good Father. No earthly father is perfect, but our need to be fathered – to be guided, affirmed, celebrated and challenged – can be met by a God who wants you to know Him as intimately as He knows you. This Father’s Day I hope that you know the greatest father of all. If you would like to learn who a father truly can be, click on the link below.