Being a Better Father

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate good fathers.

The qualities of a father are varied. Every father has something good about them.

And every father has room for improvement. What qualities do the best fathers display? Which one do we need to improve?

Dad, I can help you. Let me show you a father that is like no other.

INTRO

The father I want to show you had 2 sons. One left home and threw his life away, and the other stayed home but acted like a spoiled 2-year-old. You know the kind!

He is known as the father of the prodigal

The younger son left home with 1/3 of the family’s property. He traveled to a far country living it up as he went. He may have had lots of friends as long as there was lots of money. He was living a riotous life.

But about the same time all his money was gone, the country had a famine. Everything dried up. All his money. All his friends were gone. There was no one to help him. And this Jewish boy got so desperate that he hired himself out to a pig farmer. His job: feed the pigs. What did he want? What the pigs were eating.

Eventually, he got his head on straight again. And he was determined to return to his father asking for the job of a slave just so he could have something to eat.

Now, watch his father.

While the son was still a long way off, the father SAW him.  The father was looking for this younger son to come home. How often had the father stood looking down the road WANTING to see his son? How many hours had he stood watching the road?

He recognized his younger son at a long distance. He knew the way he walked and his familiar movements.

The father is described as RUNNING to the boy. 

He was not the kind of father that would punish the boy by waiting for the son to get to the father and then demand an apology. He did not make his son beg for a place with the family as a servant, which the boy deserved.

He went running with open arms. He was ready for his son to be back. He wanted his son back. What the boy had done was not important any longer. He was coming home.

The father felt COMPASSION. The father could see the condition of his son. The son may have been filthy. The boy may have been thin.

The father could tell that something awful had happened to him. At this point we are not told if he had figured out what had happened, but only that of father’s attitude of compassion.

The father EMBRACED him. Again, this is not the kind of father that wants justice first. He does not need to hear the story, have a “family trial”, and then pass judgment on the son with some sort of penalty for the boy’s inappropriate actions.

The embrace symbolized the first step of FORGIVENESS.

The father KISSED his son. Literally, he kissed and kept kissing, more than a few times. This expression of love, joy, and excitement was given to the one who needed it most WITHOUT reservation, without HESITATION.

This one act certainly opened the door of the son’s heart, so he could BEGIN to know of his father’s unequaled forgiveness.

The father LISTENED to his son WITHOUT JUDGEMENT.  The father heard the son speak about doing wrong and sinning against the father. He heard a son being humble and of his self-worth. There was NO CONDEMNATION for his sins by the father. There was NO ANGER. NO DISAPPOINTMENT. Just UNDERSTANDING and COMPASSION.

But the father did address the issue of who the son had become.  The son said he was no longer worthy of being considered a son. The son was going to be content with living with the slaves and having something to eat.

But, instead of giving him the simple clothes of a slave, and a place in the bunkhouse, the son was given a robe, the BEST robe. This kind of robe was worn by kings, not the slaves.

And the father order him to be given a ring. This meant that the younger son was being placed back in the family. The ring represented sonship.

Plus, the father order the son to be given a pair of shoes. This illustrates how low this young man had gone. You see, slaves were the ones who did not have shoes or sandals. So this order is also in a way saying “My son is NOT a slave, but one of the family.

The father ordered a CELEBRATION to begin. Can you see that the calf was already fattened? This tells us that the father had been HOPING for his son to return. The father had prepared a calf in the event of his long-lost son returning. But now it is time to slaughter it, and let the FEASTING AND CELEBRATING begin.

But what about the older brother?

The older brother, who had stayed at home and obeyed his father, heard the celebration and become angry. It was the angry older brother that REFUSED to celebrate the return of the lost younger brother.

And it was the father who addressed the issue.

The father went to the older son and “ENTREATED” him. The father wanted peace in his family.

He did not want the older brother to be angry toward himself, or the younger brother. He knew that unless this was dealt with soon, his anger could lead to long-term bitterness and even hatred.

These ill feelings were addressed promptly.

But the older brother laid the blame for his own anger on the father. He was complaining about how he NEVER got to have feasts or have fun with his friends. He NEVER got ANYTHING because he was always being “the good son”. He stayed home. He did not waste the family’s money in riotous living with prostitutes.

In his own mind, he thought he was being overlooked. He felt like he was not getting the attention he deserved for being good.

The father gave his older son a simple explanation. “You could have had anything you wanted, at any time. That problem is yours. Don’t blame me.”

The father made it clear that your younger brother had come back to life, and that alone was enough reason for EVERYONE to celebrate.

This father exhibited many great qualities. He was Generous, Hopeful, Patient, and Consistent. He was ready to Forgive. He was Watchful, Energetic, and Compassionate. He was Understanding, Loving, Forgiving, and even Welcoming. He was Non-judgmental, Joyful, and Gracious. And don’t forget his Mercy and Restoring attitude.

I hope that your father is all of these.

For your sake, and his, take a moment throughout the year, not just Father’s Day, to tell him what you think he did very well. Give him a little loving.

But I really don’t think many of us fathers ever get THIS good. That’s because the father in this parable represents God, THE heavenly Father.

But maybe you saw something you WANT to be better at. Then make that your goal starting right now.

By the way, when do you stop being a father?

Never!

So, when do you stop TRYING to be a better father?

Never!

If you need help being a better father or parent, please contact us here at Timeless Talks. Use the phone number to leave a message or send a text. Use the contact page, or prayer request page. Use the search box to find out what is already here. It is all free and without any obligation. Hey, have you checked out the other videos on this page?

We are excited that you watched this video, and we look forward to seeing you again, tomorrow, to watch other videos. But until then, goodbye for now.