Expendable Parts “There are different kinds of daddies,” one children’s book explains. “Sometimes a daddy goes away like yours did. He may not see his children at all. Some kids know both their moms and their dads, and some kids don’t.” There are different kinds of daddies, this book seems to say; those who live with their wives and bring up their children, and those who don’t. It’s a matter of style. Of course I understand what the book is trying to do. It is trying to explain the inexplicable. How do you explain the disappearance of a father to a heartbroken child? So when did dads become expendable? Was it somewhere in the middle of a derisive episode of “The Simpsons,” where Homer, our every-dad was lampooned as clueless and as indulgent as one of those strawberry-whipped cream doughnuts he eats? I must say that I resent television’s depiction of dads these days. My dad resembles Al Bundy about as closely as a Mac Book resembles a duckbilled platypus! In the Bible Fathers carry great responsibility for bringing up their children. They are a key to the spiritual and moral character of their children. I am not demeaning the courage of single moms doing the job of two; I am questioning the resolve of that child’s father. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, ESV). Dads, our children need us. They need our strength. They need our character. They need our protection. The need us in church. Don’t leave the pages of Sesame Street books to explain your absence. Ensure that an explanation is unnecessary!
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 15:04:49 +0000
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