Though I am far away from our children on this special family weekend, I am extremely aware of what it means to be a father to the four of them. Every stage of fatherhood has a very special appeal and this present stage for me is no exception. It's a delight this weekend to reflect on the honour that our children have brought to us. Amidst my failures I choose to focus on the accomplishments. Awhile ago it was graduation from high-school; then it was getting more education, securing jobs and incomes of their own, getting married, and having families of their own.
For me, what makes this role so special is that it definitely entails responsibilities that uniquely relate to initiation and direction, to protection and provision, as well as to nurture and training. It is of the very nature of fatherhood to do whatever is necessary to help one's children succeed, to protect them from danger, and to introduce them to the many elements of this fascinating world. At least these are the ideals to which we fathers aspire even if we often fail to achieve them. Of course, mothers typically share in all of these things as well but not exactly in the same way fathers feel them.
It seems to me that the concept of human fatherhood is rooted in the very idea of life originating from a personal God who is referred to as Father in the Jewish/Christian Scriptures. Throughout the Bible God is especially known for his creative power, his sustaining strength, and his faithful care. Because of his great power he is also known for his authority and judgement but also of amazing mercy. And it is fascinating to see how Jesus, who is presented in the Christian Scriptures as God's Son, exhibits these same characteristics of power, authority and grace. So it really is not surprising that it is these features that we naturally have come to associate with fatherhood.
I realize that this concept of fatherhood which we celebrate this weekend is very much related to the particular world view we have concerning the origin of life. Recently, I have had occasion to take another closer look at evolutionary theory. I am amazed at how pervasive this world view and its influence has become in our society despite the fact that there is really no hard evidence to support the idea of actual evolvement between species. Though there have been significant adaptations to changing environments within species there is actually no sign of change anywhere between them. On the other hand, the evidence for intelligent design in microbiology, in cosmology, and in biology is overwhelming.
This Father's Day, I find myself inspired once again to reach upward to those ideals that speak of the unique nature of human fatherhood because they are reflected in that very basic intuitive idea of God as our Father.
