First in a series on fathering

If you're a teenager, you can easily pick out all the ways in which your father is letting you down. But what does a good father look like? What roles does he fulfill? It's interesting how the roles of an earthly father parallels those of our heavenly Father.

Protector - This role encompasses our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual protection. As children we particularly need protection, and we need to have our values, purities, and our honor protected into adulthood. A father not only protects his children from harm, but protects their hearts and minds as well. (2 Thess. 3:3)

Provider -This is perhaps one of our more instinctual roles of a father. A father initially provides necessities. He also creates an environment for growth through love and encouragement. We look to our fathers to provide for us what we may not be able to provide for ourselves while teaching us how to eventually become independent. (Genesis 22:14)

Counselor - A father is a guide. He directs his children toward the path in life that promises to fit them best. A father who has his child's best interest in mind will gain the trust of his child as a counselor. This is where the "sacred no" and the "sacred yes" come in. (Is 9:6)

Friend - It is said that a child learns how to interact with others on the lap of a father. We seek a sort of friendship with our father that teaches us what friendship is. A healthy friendship with a father gives us boundaries and helps us understand what is safe and what is not. (John 15:15)

Here are a couple of rules of thumb: If your father failed you in any of these roles, then you will be searching to compensate for that deficiency in other relationships. If your father failed to give you a good model, then you will have to work hard to compensate for that poor modeling as you raise your own children. We tend to do what we've seen modeled.