I Thank God I’m a Dad!!
This month we celebrate fatherhood on the 17th of June – Father’s Day. Let me begin by wishing all those dad’s out there, Happy Father’s Day.
Usually I dedicate my article to my dad – Elder Eddie B Pruitte, Sr.: he’ll celebrate his 85th birthday this November. Sometimes I write about my spiritual father and pastor, Bishop Ted G. Thomas, Sr. I have also mentioned other spiritual mentors who have shaped and influenced my life: Bishop Floyd Brown, the late Bishop William H. Bonner and Deacon Richard Lowrey. All these men have made definite impact on my life.
However, this year I wanted to thank God for allowing me to be a dad! This has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences in my life. I am the father of four beautiful, born-again, multi-talented, educated and gifted daughters. They have been a tremendous blessing to me, our Church and the Body of Christ. I am godly proud of them and I want to believe the Lord guided me in their upbringing and gave me the strength to work and provide for them. Of course, my wife played a definite role in raising them, but she had her day last month.
Have you ever considered what the Bible says about fatherhood? The book of Proverbs tells us to train our children (Prov 22:6) we’re also instructed to correct our sons (Prov 3:11-12). The Psalmist wrote that children are an inheritance from the Lord and we’re blessed if we have a bunch of them (Psalms 127:3-5). Paul also warned us not to provoke them to wrath, but rather teach them to love and fear God. One might think with such benefits that come with fatherhood, men should be overflowing with joy. However, we all know this is not the case.
Some of us are under-employed, and / or under paid. Some don’t have jobs. Sometimes the pressure of taking care of our families result in health issues. Hypertension, diabetes, stress and heart disease are prominent amongst African American men. Some men don’t handle the stress of fatherhood too well. Some leave, some are abusive, some commit suicide. However, some of us discovered the key to successful, fulfilled and happy fatherhood – we turned to God. After all, who better to teach us about fatherhood than God Himself who is the Father of us all.
I thank Him daily that I learned early on to trust Him and depend on Him. He has been those strong shoulders to lean on; He has been those loving arms to run to. Only He has seen me cry when I was disappointed, and He didn’t tell anyone! I love fatherhood so much that I have grandchildren, and I even have spiritual children. Today, I embrace fatherhood because I learned the secret about good fathers – they look to God!
Happy Father’s Day to all those great dads!
I bless you in the name of the Lord!