Father’s Day
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
You may go to school to become an engineer, an architect, or a teacher, but you do not go to school to become a father. Sadly, you can become a father with less preparation than it takes to get a driver’s license! The result is that many men are unprepared to become good fathers.
One of the best ways to become a good father is first to be a good husband! This is because children learn the meaning of godly family relationships by observing how their fathers treat their mothers. Sons learn how to be gentlemen by observing how their fathers treat their mothers. Daughters learn what to look for in a man by comparing him to her father.
Fathers, therefore, ought to listen carefully to God’s instruction regarding their relationships with their wives. Peter urges husbands to live with their wives “with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life.” To understand their wives, husbands must be prepared to listen to them with love and respect. A wife is God’s greatest gift to a husband apart from his saving faith. She is both his companion and partner in life and is intended by God to assist her husband in achieving all that He has planned for them. Peter then speaks of giving honor to wives—treasuring them for their strengths while protecting them as individuals who are generally physically weaker. Peter emphasizes the importance of the spiritual element of a marital relationship—spouses encouraging and strengthening each other in their faith and relationship with God.
Children do not go to school to learn about godly family relationships, but they observe what God both desires and expects when their fathers nurture godly relationships within their homes!
Dear heavenly Father, help all earthly fathers to recognize the importance of fostering godly relationships with their wives—the mothers of their children. Grant them wisdom, love, and faithfulness and, thereby, bring blessings to their families. Amen.