A good question on Father’s Day

Russ Waldrop / "From the Pulpit"
Published: June 12, 2008

Likening ourselves to God should not be done lightly. The very idea that “God is like me” comes with the heavy responsibility of living in such a way that an impartial observer might conclude, “If God is like that person, then I want to trust God, too.” But what does this have to do with Father’s Day?
Jesus once told his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:13-16).
The Greek text does not say “Be somewhat like salt,” or “Someday, after years of trying hard, you might begin to resemble light.” Grammatically, nothing diminishes the nouns in the sentence: “You are the salt … You are the light …”
All of Jesus’ followers have this calling. Again, what has this to do with Father’s Day? The key is in the last phrase, “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Imagine the fathers who take Jesus’ words seriously. As Father’s Day approaches, they remember how their personal strengths and weaknesses have been demonstrated in their parenting since the last Father’s Day.
“It’s time to ask myself,” they realize, “how I have represented God this year — to my children, my wife, my colleagues at work, my friends, even my enemies.” In other words, “If an impartial observer concluded that God is like me, would I be a plus or a minus in that person’s spiritual life?”
On Fathers’ Day, some of those “impartial observers” may not be so impartial at all. The very word “Father” implies children who, ideally, have been watching Dad all year long, ever since childhood. When the family goes to church this Father’s Day and hears again that God is “Our Heavenly Father,” has Dad developed a relationship with his children that leads them to say, “Yep, that’s just like Dad”?
On another occasion when Jesus was teaching, he recognized some of the men in the crowd as fathers and he singled them out, asking, “Would any of you give your children a stone when they ask for bread … or a snake when they ask for fish?” He assumed the best about these fathers and made their parenting a basis for assumptions about God.
He also recognized that every one of them had occasionally failed as fathers; but, instead of fussing at them for that, he complimented them for their better efforts: “As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children.” The inherent goodness of imperfect fathers was Jesus’ basis for teaching the goodness of our perfect Heavenly Father: “How much more then will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:9-11).
Is there any question more significant for fathers to ask than this: “Has my relationship with my children over the years been grounds for any conclusions they might have been making about God?” If that is important during the rest of the year, how much more is it on this Father’s Day?
The Rev. Russell G. Waldrop, D. Min., LPC, is a pastoral counselor and is chaplain of Western State Hospital. Contact him at 540-332-8004 or at .