Fatherhood

Thursday, January 22, 2009 was the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Regardless of where we stand on the issue, it's a time to reflect upon how we can reduce the the necessity of this law.

I have been blessed with fewer distractions and more prayer and reflection time over the past 2 weeks. Alejandro has provided me with a few spiritual books, and I've been working through a few of my own.

So, I think it's a good day to reflect upon "Fatherhood."

In many of my readings, the idea of "Father" often comes up. The purpose of our biological Father is beautiful, he:

• Is a creator of life


• Accepts and loves us


• Mentors and forms us


• Encourages us and provides self-esteem


• Disciplines us and points us in the right direction

Today, not all of us can say we totally can relate to this idea of a Father. Maybe we didn't have a Father, or if we did, maybe he didn't provide us with these beautiful gifts. Perhaps we were told we were "an accident," were unloved, or never received any Fatherly direction.

It's probably because there's an endangered species missing in our culture: the Father. How can a boy be raised to become a man, when his own Father wasn't? Who will teach him how to treat a woman? Who will teach him how to do the right thing? Who will teach him when and how to "fight?" When will the boy know when he's wrong, and how to right his path?

What about little girls? How will a girl know what a good man is if her Father wasn't? Who will protect her? Who will encourage her to chase her dreams, to be whatever she wants to be?

Not to mention the effect on wives!

"Our Father, who art in Heaven..." How can we relate to God-the-Father, if we don't have many real Fathers left? Jesus spoke about His Father in a time when men were real Fathers, when this analogy connected to people, when people thought positively when hearing the word "Father."

Today, a father is seen more appropriately as such:

"A father half apologetic for having brought his son into the world, afraid to restrain him lest he should create inhibitions or even to instrust him lest he should interfere with his independence of mind, is a most misleading symbol of the Divine Fatherhood..."

Instead of:

"...consider how Our Lord regards His own Sonship, surrendering His will wholly to the paternal will not even allowing Himself to be called 'good' because Good is the name of the Father. Love between father and son, in this symbol, means authoritative love on the one side, and obedient love on the other. The Father uses his authority to make the son into the sort of human being he, rightly, and in his superior wisdom, wants him to be..." -The Problem of Pain, CS Lewis

When Americans are polled, a majority believe responsibility needs to be more emphasized. In fact, 69% of all business leaders recently polled believe Social Responsibility is important to the future of the US Economy.

The problem, of course, becomes how to encourage responsibility.

Many want more responsibility as long as it doesn't reduce "freedom of speech", "corporate profits", "standard of living", or "sexual encounters." We also don't want more responsibility if it increases "taxes", causes "sacrifices", or inflicts "pain." I could probably count myself in some of these categories from time-to-time, but the problem is, we are practicing "safe" responsibility if we say "personal responsibility but..."

Today, we mark this day 36 years ago, when fatherhood (little "f", not Divine Fatherhood) failed us. If men were really men, we wouldn't need this law. If men were real men, women wouldn't be in this paradox.

Let's pray for a return of personal responsibility in the home, with a return of the Divine Fatherhood.