A Note on Fatherhood
- FABIAN LOPEZ
- Jun 18, 2017
- 3 min read
*This weekend we celebrate fatherhood and the many great men who help raise society into greatness. This blog is dedicated to them. This blog has been updated with a new photo.
We need more chain breakers and less heart breakers.
Humanity needs good examples of fathers.
Our fathers are to be kings so they know how to govern and priests who can lead their families in prayer.
Much of our generation has grown up fatherless. As a result, many of our young people struggle with their purpose, their direction, their identity, and their self-esteem. We have kids who don’t know how to cope with their own fears and emotions. They shut down because their fathers were not there to speak life into them. Their fathers were not there to teach them courage. They needed a father to help them break the chains of their vices and addictions.
Thank God for the good fathers of our generation, the men who are there in our moments of suffering and come to our aid in our time of need. They teach young boys to be men. These men teach our young ladies what to expect from a grown man.
A good father is not the man who is super macho or the man driven by ego. He is not the man who is incapable of controlling his anger. The good father is neither the man who is passive, inactive, or domesticated. He is the man who is constant.
The good father is the one who challenges his children to rise higher. His arms are a safe-haven for his children and those under his authority. He’s the mentor who instills wisdom to those under his tutelage. He helps shape the destinies of his kin.
Sometimes it seems to me that there is too many families and not enough fathers. I know there is still so much work to do but I find hope in good men.
There was a father who trusted and obeyed God. He spent decades of his life using his working knowledge of naval engineering to save his family from severe flooding and inclement weather.
By saving his family, he saved humanity.
His name was Noah.
There was a father who prepared a kingdom for his son. He fought all the enemy nations so his son could live in peace. He left blueprints, architectural designs, and resources to build a temple. The son got the glory but it was the father who made the way. His name was David.
When you are entrusted as a step father to raise someone else’s son, what do you do?
You do what Joseph did with Jesus. He was an example of courage, humility and justice. Even in the face of severe humiliation, he did what was best for his wife and her son. He even taught his step son his trade of carpentry. And during a time of crisis, when all the sons of Israel were being slaughtered Joseph’s vision and leadership brought his family to safety.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for my dad, Miguel Lopez. I’ve come to the realization that he would sacrifice more for me than I would for him. He has done more for me than I could do for him. He would give more for me than I would be willing to give for him. This thought is truly humbling. It brought tears to my eyes when I realized the truth of it. My father loves to a greater degree than I do. I aim and hope to be a father to my children one day the way my father has been to me. It is a truly remarkable standard but it is the one you have set for me by giving me a father like him. Lord, I love you all the more for the men who have mentored me and helped me find my calling and expected great things from me. I thank you for my father’s father as well whose blood also runs in my veins. I praise you Lord for being a guardian to our family and for being our Father in Heaven. Teach us to be like you. Teach us to lead like you. Amen.
Your child,
Fabian Lopez
Happy Father’s Day everyone!
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