The Compassion of a Dad

Psalm 103:1-14

In preparing this message I was surprised to note that the Lord compares Himself to dads!  Wow!  God expects us to be role models!

As you know, it is totally acceptable for men to show love and compassion for others – especially our children. Far too often we send our kids to their moms when they are sick or injured. Thus we are teaching them that we are incapable of true compassion. We are teaching them that Mom is the source of love; we are the source of discipline.

This is not the ideal situation! 

Most of us are soft and tender on the inside, but society has taught us not to let it show! (That, by the way, is stupid!)

 

Fellows, to be a hero to your kids you do not have to be rich, witty, or wise… but you do need to be full of love for your wife and your children.

Let’s spend a few moments focusing on the joys of being a young parent. Since this is Father’s Day we will focus on the dads....

It’s been a busy day.  You come home from work tired, and glad to be there – just you and your young bride!  You have been thinking about how nice life – just the two of you.  As you walk through the door you note a festive spirit in the air.  The table is set with your best dishes… candles are on the table.  Your wife is Christmas happy, and you feel just a little bit anxious!  As she sits down to eat she bursts forth with joy and happiness and says, “Guess what, honey! We’re going to have a baby!”

On the outside you are puppy-dog happy, for you love your wife.  But what’s going on inside?  Fear!  You only have ten bucks in the bank, and 50 cents in your pocket and she’s going to have a baby!  You want a new pickup, and she’s going to have a baby!  You feel insecure about your business or profession, and she’s going to have a baby!

Mom used to say, “If people waited until they could afford it, there never would be any babies born.”  So… you figure you can get through it, one way or another.

Then comes the baby – babies wear diapers – which mysteriously get messy – usually only when the wife is gone.  SHE promised you that “everything will be fine while I’m gone.  I just fed the baby and she will sleep the whole time.”  In your heart you knew better.  And sure enough the baby is crying, the diaper is full, and the little precious darling stinks!

It’s a scary thing to be a dad… but your dad survived, and so will you – through mumps, chicken pox, dating, college and marriage.

Our society makes it easy for the man to drop out – he can go to work, go hunting, go hang out with the boys… all sorts of things… but that is not God’s plan!  Yes, God wants you to work, but he wants you involved with the kids.  He wants you to be the spiritual head of the home.  Your wife needs these things as well… and our responsibilities do not stop – ever.  As long as you live, Moms and Dads, God wants you to be involved in loving your wife/husband and child/children – and the other people God brings into your life. 

No matter how hard a man tries, he cannot be a perfect dad.  Why?  We start parenting at an early age while we are still trying to figure out who we are!  Actually the ladies have many self-doubts too.  It’s just that men can sneak off and the mom has no choice but to learn how to parent. 

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What are Fathers Made Of? (by Paul Harvey)

     A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic.

     A father is a thing that growls when it feels good--and laughs very loud when it's scared half to death.

     A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child's eyes. He's never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be--and this worries him, sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

     A father is a thing that gets very angry when the first school grades aren't as good as he thinks they should be. He scolds his son though he knows it's the teacher's fault. Fathers are what give daughters away to other men who aren't nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s.

     Fathers make bets with insurance companies about who'll live the longest. Though they know the odds, they keep right on betting. And one day they lose.

     I don't know where fathers go when they die. But I've an idea that after a good rest, wherever it is, he won't be happy unless there's work to do. He won't just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he's loved and the children she bore. He'll be busy there, too, repairing the stairs, oiling the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way. 

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I close with an insight from the late Erma Bombeck, the humorous writer:

When the good Lord was creating Fathers he started with a tall frame.  And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of Father is that?  If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put Fathers up so high?  He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."  And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child-size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a Father's hands, they were large and sinewy.  And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do you know what you're doing?  Large hands are clumsy.  They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."  And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day...yet small enough to cup a child's face in his hands."

And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.  And the angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked.  "Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?  How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"  And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap.  A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle, and hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had every seen when the angel could contain herself no longer.  "That's not fair.  Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries?  Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"  And God smiled and said, "They'll work.  You'll see.  They'll support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross, or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that saw everything, but remained calm and tolerant.  Finally, almost as an afterthought, he added tears.  Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a Mother?"  The angel shuteth up.  ~Erma Bombeck

God is our compassionate, loving, kind, and generous heavenly parent… God has all the attributes of both mother and father.  Some people prefer to consider God male; others female.  The essential thing is to remember that God is God… and we are not!

Love God with all your heart, soul and mind… and your neighbor as yourself, and you will do fine!  

All of us need to be as caring and compassionate as we want God to be toward us!  Men, let your soft side show!  It makes you more Godly and lovable!

Prayerfully yours,

Pastor Leon