A Father's Job

I've been reading the book Bonds that make us free by C. Terry Warner. It's life-changing. It's one of the most important books I've ever read. Even though the book is not scripture, I thought this short quote would be quite appropriate for this blog.

First, a little context. A man became upset at his children. He responded to them angrily and they started to cry. Realizing his error, he went to their room and asked for forgiveness. They quickly jumped into his arms and kissed him, forgiving him for any wrong. Now for the quote:

"Well, I leaned a lot of lessons from that. But the one that sticks with me the most, because I'm a father, is that it's a father's job to repent first. That's what is means to me to be a father - to be the first one to repent and heal the relationship. My children were anxious and willing to forgive and be friends with me. But I had to start it. It seems to me that that's the way relationships are healed. It's no more complicated than that. It may take longer in some cases, but there isn't much more to it than simply yielding your heart to what you know is the truth and saying, 'I'm sorry.'" (p. 261).

Even though I've only been a parent for just over four years, I've made my share of mistakes. Parenting is very hard work; it takes a lot of effort and patience. But it also take more than that; it takes love and selflessness. I find that pride and selfishness usually cause the most friction in relationships. As a parent, as a father, it is especially important to be the first one to repent and ask for forgiveness.