A Father’s Love

A Father’s Love

The LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.

Hebrews 12:6

I once read the memoir of a woman who had an incredible, loving, sacrificing, giving father. I wept on every page—for two reasons. I cried because that wasn’t what I experienced growing up and I still don’t have that type of relationship. I also wept because seeing a living, breathing example of the care a father can provide to his daughter made me understand God better.

This time of year there are greeting cards and television commercials that show images of fathers spending time with their children: roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, playing catch in the yard, or sitting side by side on the couch watching the big game. If there were a greeting card for an Amish father, it might show father and son tilling a field, or father and daughter pitching hay together. But whether he’s Amish or English, the greatest gift a father can give his children is time and attention. These are the gifts children remember most. They go straight to the heart. If you have a father who spends time with you, consider him one of your greatest gifts in life.

An additional gift you might not expect is discipline. In an Amish home, parents stress obedience and submission. These characteristics are instilled at a young age. Most Amish use spanking and corporal punishment to teach good behavior: “Amish recognize the importance of proper discipline to their children’s future development. Yet it is generally recognized that spanking should not be done in anger, but out of love with the goal of teaching the child.”

When it comes to giving time and attention to our children, it’s not just the Hallmark moments that will last a lifetime. The character-building moments do too. The time and attention we give to providing our children with discipline will shape their lives through all their years. This, too, is a beautiful, loving thing.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, Your attention, and Your discipline. Thank You for being a loving Father I can always count on. Thank You for all the loving fathers in our lives.