Family Friday 8/12/22
"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." - John 5:19
In this passage we see Jesus speaking of the relationship with the Father. While this is a very special relationship between God the Father and God the Son who are indeed One, I believe there are several things that we can glean for our own relationships that we have with our children.
The first thing I notice in this passage is the word "seeth". The Son will do what He sees the Father do. This is so true for our relationship with our children. We need to set the example of what they should and should not be doing. They will mimic what they see. If I as a father constantly lose my temper then my children will learn from me how to lose my temper and they too will have issues with losing their temper. If I am lazy around my house then my children will learn from me to be lazy and will have issues with work ethic as they grow older. If I am disrespectful to my wife, my children will see them and learn from me to disrespect their mother. This will cause great issues as they grow older. The disrespect will intensify and grow as they become teens and young adults.
As a father, I must understand that there is power in the example I am giving to my children. Therefore, I need to be conscious of the example that I give and make sure that it truly helps them become who God wants them to be. As I live from day to day my presence with my children provides a casual example, but there is a step further that we need to take as fathers if we truly love our children.
"For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth..." (John 5:20) God the Father took the time to not only let the Son see all that He did, but he also showed Him. This is a powerful thought because there is a major difference between our children seeing what we do, and us showing them what we do. When they see what we do, they are observing without an invitation and without explanation. Yet, when we shew them we are inviting them into our world for a moment and showing them and explaining to them what we are doing so they can be educated properly by what we do. This is an act of love. This requires us as fathers to slow down to the speed of our children and let them observe. This requires patience.
As fathers, we have an opportunity to make such an impact on our children. We must beware of the example that they see, and we must shew them the love that invites them to observe. This is a big part of what being a father is all about.