I remember the first time I heard those fateful words; “I am your father.” I was a small boy and the intense fighting, sparks flying, and great heights already had me on edge. Then when the “dark lord” proclaimed his identity, Luke’s response fit the feelings well with his excruciating “Noooo!!” No one would want the evil Darth Vader to be their father.
What is a father? Did Darth Vader have the right to claim that title? Maybe if we compare him to a tom cat that slinks around the farm. Tom cats arrive on the scene, cause chaos, eat their own children, wretch in the corner, fight, then disappear. It seems that Darth Vader fits that bill rather well. We get all kinds of unfortunate examples of father roles in the animal kingdom. Holstein bulls are overly aggressive, billy goats have body odor that clears the room, drones (male honey bees) earn their reputation for being lazy moochers; and we could go on.
God made human fathers differently.
Saying that Darth Vader is a good father to Luke would be like saying almond “juice” could hold a candle to REAL milk. (Happy Dairy Month, by the way!) If you’d like to try some of the real deal, mention this article and we will give first timers a free half gallon.
Back to fathers. If Darth Vader is not the guy to emulate, let’s do some research.
Sure, a father can be rough, tough, powerful, confident, and there are times when my work may cause a stench. But, the man that God made to be a father is also gentle, protecting, and kind.
I asked my children what a dad is supposed to be.
My four-year-old son said, “a grown up, a person that people obey, he should make you feel good, and excited.”
My daughters: “…awesome, loving dude. He makes me feel warm, safe, protected, and loved.” (I pay them in milkshakes)
In a quick survey to others, here’s what I found. Fathers are steady, reliable, a firm foundation, the anchor that holds. A father makes you feel safe, valuable, loved, accountable, and disciplined.
Reality is, that not everyone has that experience with a father. Some fathers may be proud and aggressive like a rooster or as abusive as a tom cat.
During a men’s session I attended at a conference, they asked the audience to describe their father. It started out with some good qualities, then quickly turned brutal. I can’t type some of the words used to describe the selfishness and abuse. Too often, children are left with pain from a father. The truth is, the perfect father doesn’t exist on the earth. When I asked my son what a father is, he said, “God is Father.” That truth can bring healing to the hurting. 1 John 3:1 says that the Father (God) has lavished great love on us and those who trust Him alone for salvation are called his children. Jesus told a story of a son who betrayed his father’s trust, ran away and disowned his father. Then, Jesus told how the Father (as an example of God) waited for the son to come home and when he saw him, he disgraced himself by running to the wayward son, who returned in humility. The father embraced him and lavished his great love and grace upon him. This story illustrates the truth in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your cares on him because He cares for you!”
This is the Father, God, we worship and who loves us.
So what is our role as fathers?
With God the Father as our example, we are not to use our power to our own advantage, but rather give ourselves for the good of our families (Phil 2). God is the powerful father who humbled himself and made himself nothing for our sake. If we do the same, we will use great power to save, courage in risk, gentleness in caring, perseverance through the impossible, and a strong hand to “train up your children in the way they should go.” (Prov 22:6).
We need to emulate God our Father, so that when our children become like us, they will be like Him. Just like my son who came out of the bathroom trailing an aroma cloud and said, “Dad, smell my neck! I put on your spray because I wanted to become a man like you!”
That’s a mission worthy of a fight!
Happy Fathers Day!
Meet your farmer – Jonathan Gerdes. He and his wife run a farm-to-table raw milk dairy in Caledonia, Minn. If he isn’t in the barn, you can find him dating his wife, playing with his kids, leading youth group, or flying in the sky. Visit gerdesfreshfarm.com for more info.
Leave a Reply