What Matters Most

While Father’s Day tends to focus on food and gifts and fun, it also reminds us about the importance of being a father. Fatherhood is a big responsibility. And because no perfect father has ever lived, it’s very hard to find the perfect father role model. If you’re looking for the model dad, you’ll find Him in the Bible. The key to being a successful father is found in 1 John 4:16, which states simply, “God is love.” A father might be a fun dad, a disciplinarian dad, a genius dad, a creative dad, a hard-working dad, but that’s not even getting close to the main quality a father should possess.

The key question for fathers everywhere is this: “Is Dad a loving dad?” That question gets to the essence of fatherhood. What children need above all else is love, and love is what they most remember. This is illustrated by a story I once heard. At a family reunion, a group of siblings connected for the first time in many years.

Naturally, they discussed their childhood.

The sisters reminded their brother about his habit of playing with his friends until well after the time he was supposed to be home and how, when he got home, he’d be in big trouble with his father. Yet try as he might, the brother could not remember his father punishing him for staying out late. He told his sisters that as he looked back, all he could remember was how much his father loved him.

It is wonderful for a father to be a high-achieving dad, a never-make-a-fuss-dad, or an always-at-the-game dad.

But as important as those things may be, they’re not the most important thing. Father’s Day is a good time for fathers to consider how they are representing the love of God to their children. If a dad is missing the mark, he can remember that it isn’t too late to redeem the time and show his children the genuine love that flows out of a converted heart. Love costs nothing, and it’s the most important gift any father can give.