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 The
Father's Role
The husband and father is the head of the
household. The wife looks to him for love and sympathy, and for aid in the
training of the children; and this is right. The children are his as well as
hers, and he is equally interested in their welfare. The children look
to their father for support and guidance; he needs to have a right
conception of life and of the influences and associations that should
surround his family; above all, he should be controlled by the love and fear
of God and by the teaching of His word, that he may guide the feet of his
children in the right way. The father is the lawmaker of the household; and,
like Abraham, he should make the law of God the rule of his home. God said
of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children and his
household." Genesis 18:19. There would be no sinful neglect to restrain
evil, no weak, unwise, indulgent favoritism; no yielding of his conviction
of duty to the claims of mistaken affection. Abraham would not only give
right instruction, but he would maintain the authority of just and righteous
laws. God has given rules for our guidance. Children should not be left to
wander away from the safe path marked out in God's word, into ways leading
to danger, which are open on every side. Kindly, but firmly, with
persevering, prayerful effort, their wrong desires should be restrained,
their inclinations denied.The father
should enforce in his family the sterner virtues --energy, integrity,
honesty, patience, courage, diligence, and practical usefulness. And what he
requires of his children he himself should practice, illustrating these
virtues in his own manly bearing.
But, fathers, do not discourage your
children. Combine affection with authority, kindness and sympathy with firm
restraint. Give some of your leisure hours to your children; become
acquainted with them; associate with them in their work and in their sports,
and win their confidence. Cultivate friendship with them, especially with
your sons. In this way you will be a strong influence for good. The father
should do his part toward making home happy. Whatever his cares and business
perplexities, they should not be permitted to overshadow his family; he
should enter his home with smiles and pleasant words.
In a sense the father is the priest of the
household, laying upon the family altar the morning and evening sacrifice.
But the wife and children should unite in prayer and join in the song of
praise. In the morning before he leaves home for his daily labor, let the
father gather his children about him and, bowing before God, commit them to
the care of the Father in heaven. When the cares of the day are past, let
the family unite in offering grateful prayer and raising the song of praise,
in acknowledgment of divine care during the day.
Fathers and mothers, however pressing your
business, do not fail to gather your family around God's altar. Ask for the
guardianship of holy angels in your home. Remember that your dear ones are
exposed to temptations. Daily annoyances beset the path of young and old.
Those who would live patient, loving, cheerful lives must pray. Only by
receiving constant help from God can we gain the victory over self.
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