Honoring Our Fathers and Teaching Our Sons

Having just celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday, I hope you took the opportunity to honor your father. Do you remember some of your father’s best lines? Dads are famous for their pearls of wisdom.

“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!”

“If you fall off that rock and break your leg, don’t come running to me.”

“What do you think I am – a bank?"

“Who ever said life was supposed to be fair?”

“You call that a haircut?”

“This is gonna hurt me a lot more than it’s gonna hurt you.”

“This is your last warning.”

“As long as you live under my roof, you live under my rules.”

“No, I do not need to stop and ask for directions.”

And one of my favorites: “I’ll tell you why – because I said so, that’s why.”

If you have a good relationship with him, then make sure he knows how much he means to you. A simple word of thanks or appreciation for his investment in your life goes a long way. And by the way, if you have (or had) a good father, then praise the Lord for such a blessing.

If your relationship with your dad has been rocky at best, then why not do whatever it takes to try to mend some fences? Ask his forgiveness for the ways you’ve messed things up, and be willing to forgive the wrongs you’ve suffered. Or start with smaller steps, but start somewhere. Even broken relationships are not impossible for God to fix. Plead with the Lord for help, and follow His guidance. Maybe things won’t ever be perfect, but the effort will be worthwhile.

For many of you reading this, your father has already passed on. I offer to you my sincerest sympathies and encourage you to honor your dad by living in the way of wisdom and righteousness. “The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him” (Proverbs 23:24). On the other hand, “To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool” (Proverbs 17:21).

With Father’s Day in mind, thought I’d share two quick pearls of wisdom from the Proverbs. These are time-tested and timely principles for any man, but ones my own dad has modeled and taught me, and which I’m hopefully living out and teaching to my sons, as well.

One – Take a stand for what’s right. Proverbs 1:10: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” Men, how many missteps and falls could be avoided if our sons followed this wisdom? How many of our own tragedies would we have not suffered if only we would have not given in to the enticement of sinners?

Instead, teach them with your words and your ways to take a stand for what’s right. Instill confidence in them that doing what’s right is always the right thing to do. Even if it means going against the tide of popularity. Even if it means standing alone when everyone else chases after ungodliness. Even if it means being mocked, ridiculed or shunned. You know that doing what’s right has its own reward, and your sons and daughters will be better men and women for it.

Two – Be faithful to your wife. And by faithful, I mean faithful, which includes not only being physically faithful to your wife, but mentally and emotionally faithful, as well, contra Congressman Weiner, et al. The writer of Proverbs speaks emphatically against the ways of the adulteress. “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house…He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away” (Proverbs 5:8; 6:32-33).

Rather, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth…be intoxicated always in her love” (Proverbs 5:18-19). It’s been said that the best thing a father can do for his sons is to love their mother. When you show your wife the faithfulness and love you promised at the altar, you’re teaching your children the way to love and to cherish and to respect others.

I’m not saying these are easy instructions to follow, but the blessings of living in the way of wisdom are spelled out clearly in God’s Word. To live out this kind of wisdom, start with a healthy “fear of the Lord,” revering Him in His holiness and submitting to His will. “The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace” (Proverbs 3:25).