Wanted: Men of Integrity for Fathers!

Is there a blight of good fathers these days?  Certainly good fathers are in demand, very much needed and wanted.

But what makes a “good” father?

Let’s say that a good father is a good man.  But, what then, is a good man?

To begin with—and this should come as a surprise to our American psyche—a good man is a man NOT of his own making.  That is, a good man is NOT a self-made man.  How’s that?

A good man is a man who has followed the pathway of other good men.  He has learned and has been taught; he has had a good role model and has been given guidance from other good men who have gone before him.  Hence, he is not “self-made.”  He is teachable and is willing to be a greater man’s disciple.

In that sense, neither is a good man a LONER.  He is neither a Lone Ranger nor a Superman nor a Batman.  Yes, a good man is independent, but he is also dependent and inter-dependent.  He is independent as a responsible and respectable mature adult should be.  Yet he is dependent—upon God—consciously and actively submissive and obedient to God’s ways.  The Spirit of God rules a good man’s heart.  Likewise, a good man accepts the strengths and abilities of other men; he readily acknowledges that other men can do certain things better than he can himself.  Thus, he humbly accepts their assistance.  For, he knows that he cannot be master of everything.  He is therefore an inter-dependent man, one who graciously acknowledges the need of other men’s help.

Furthermore, it’s easy to be bad.  But it takes courage to be good.  A good man is truly courageous.  A good man has the courage to DO the right thing even when it hurts, courage to say what is true when others will detest you for it.  It takes courage to BE true, honest, fair, just, and respectful of others, even if persecuted or attacked for so doing.

Thus, a good man is a man of integrity.  He is a man of his word.  He says what he means and means what he says.  A good man does not lie, cheat, or steal.  He does not covet another man’s possessions.  And he refrains from manipulating others.  A good man does what is right because it is right and not because or only when it is convenient or is to his advantage or personal gain.

Hence a good man makes a good father, respecting men, women, AND children.  And he passes on his good wisdom down to his children by word and deed, action and behavior modeling his good lessons of life, which he himself has learned from practicing goodness himself.  For, a good man has learned to “Be the change you want to see in others.”

Integrity comes from the heart and will.  It is a walk, a way of living, a way of being; it is a total approach to life.  To live with integrity is to DO what is right and good and honest and true and just and fair in all things.  To live with integrity is to BE honest and true and trustworthy and faithful and dependable.  To live with integrity is to live as Jesus lived, to become more and more like Jesus in righteousness, goodness, and love, compassion, mercy, and justice.

In that light, I wonder, do you consider yourself a good man?  How many good men, good fathers do you know?  And tell me, why do they seem so scarce these days?