7 Days of Meditation and Declarations for Every Son of Godናሙና

On Being a Father

It has been my privilege and responsibility in life to raise three daughters. With all now grown and married, my mission is largely accomplished. But I loved being a father to daughters. And early on with each one of my girls, there was a…moment.

She is maybe five or six months old and now looks like a beautiful miniature human. She’s alert and responsive to you. She interacts. Best of all, you’ve figured out how to make her laugh. Oh, how you love to make her laugh.

So, one day you’re hovering over the helpless little thing. And she’s looking at you. She makes a certain face. And suddenly, you see yourself to a degree you’ve never perceived before.

Then, without warning, your heart melts in your chest. And at that moment, you know that you must not ever let anything bad happen to her. And that from this day forward, it is your sacred mission to steward this wriggling, giggling lump of potential and help her become the best possible version of who God created her to be. This is a “father's heart.” So you embrace that mission, but soon three sobering realities confront you.

The first is that this world is a horribly twisted, fallen place. Depravity and violence seem to ooze from every crack in the crumbling edifice of our culture. This is the world you need to prepare her for. God in heaven, how is that even possible?

Second, you know all too painfully well how flawed and broken you are as a human being. You’re intimately acquainted with your every character flaw. With how very many mistakes and poor choices you’ve made up to this point in your life—and how many more you’re certain to make going forward. Lord, she’s counting on me, so I’m counting on you. Help!

Third, and this is the most startling revelation…you discover that she is broken too. That she was born neither a perfect angel nor a proverbial “blank slate”. That she came out of the womb just as fallen and in need of divine redemption as you and every other son and daughter of Adam—only cuter. Dear Jesus, help me point her to you.

So, in the face of these three bracing headwinds, you take a deep breath, lean in, and do the best you can. And you pray. You pray to love her well and discipline her wisely. You don’t always get it right. But you pray for grace, and God abundantly supplies. You pray that His mercies will cover your mistakes. And—I promise—you will find those mercies new every morning.

Grace Declaration: Whether my fathering days are behind me, ahead of me, or I’m in the middle of that sacred mission, these two things I know are true: Your grace is sufficient for me in every role to which You’ve called me. And You are, and always will be, a good Father to me. You have the ultimate “Father heart.