Page 9 - June 2022 News On 7

HOW A SON BECOMES A FATHER
BY REV. TRACY B RICHARDS
“For I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD
by doing what is right and just so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” Genesis
18:19
UPDATE: Starting this month, I’m going to try something new with these News on 7 devotional articles. Until now, I have been focusing on
relevant/timely topics that I hope people in our community can relate to and I intend to continue in that vein. However, while I don't exactly
know (yet) what demographic actually reads these articles, I have noticed that many of you have chosen to subscribe to my Process of
Illumination blog, which is very encouraging and it’s given me an idea :) The original intention of my blog (which I’ve been writing for over 15
years) was to reflect on my personal experiences while gaining insight and wisdom through this ‘process’ (hence the name, Process of
Illumination). But this process isn’t just for me. Its purpose was developed so that I can share what I have learned and hopefully inspire others
who may be on a similar journey.
If you’ve read any of my POI blog posts, you’ll notice that this approach tends to require my posts to get fairly in-depth and I have missed being
able to do this within the structural limitations of the News on 7 format. So, this month I will begin to experiment with a format that will allow
me to keep my News of 7 posts fairly succinct while encouraging readers to click through (or subscribe) to my blog if they want to go a bit deeper.
For now, the simplest way to do this would be to include a “read more” link to view the entire post on my website, so I apologize to anyone who
may find this cumbersome or annoying in the short term. HOWEVER, if you happen to have a strong opinion either way or simply have some
savvy suggestions, I would really love to hear your feedback. Just email me at tracy@xolifecelebrations.com. And now, without further ado,
here is this month’s article:
With Father’s Day approaching, I was thinking about what I could write that would be both an honest reflection of what’s going
on in my life while also being relevant to my readers.
The truth is, at this phase of my life, I have neither a father nor a husband/partner to celebrate Father’s Day with. I have,
however, been blessed with 4 adult sons who, by God’s grace, will one day become fathers and so I felt it might be very
interesting (and humbling) to explore, not only what it takes to be a good father but also, what it takes to become one.
For those of us who are parents of adult kids, we’ve all wondered if we could have done better. When raising boys, however, it
becomes even more of a responsibility, especially if you subscribe to the Judeo-Christian worldview which says that fathers are
chosen by God to be head of their households (see above bible verse):
Take my situation, for instance. For the past 15 years, I have been parenting my boys independently of their father which, in a
very practical sense, puts me in the category of being a ‘single mom’. In my case, (like many others) this parenting structure
was unavoidable but, to be honest, I would not recommend it. It’s a hard road, especially if you don’t have adequate support or
(like me) find it hard to ask for help.
Even though my kids have a dad that loves and cares for them very much, I truly don’t believe we were as good parents
independently as we could have been together. Unfortunately, we never found a way to achieve that, and, as much as I believe
in God’s forgiveness, plan, and promises (Romans 8:28), part of me will always regret it. At the end of the day, I am not their
father and I can never (nor should I try to) fill that role. I have had to accept the fact that, for the time they spent under my
roof, that balance was lacking. Not to mention that they didn’t grow up with a pattern of what a stable, healthy marriage looks
like, BUT there’s no need to go down that rabbit hole… The point of this article is to highlight the importance and value that
men have in the world and as heads of their families. Their accurate presence gives boys consistent, kind, and stable patterns
to learn from, emulate and look up to.

Strong male role models teach boys how to:
1. Prioritize and Lead Their Family
2. Communicate Well
3. Take Responsibility
4. Learn the Importance of Both Discipline and Validation
5. Love and Respect Women
6. Know and Apply God’s Practical Wisdom

In the expanded (blog) version of this post, I’ll dive a little deeper into each of these points (and more) but for now, I hope I’ve
given you something to inspire you during this Father’s Day season. My prayer is that, as you’re reading this, you are feeling
grateful for the strong, righteous men in your life. If, however, that is not your experience, I encourage you to take time to
reflect on why that is and, if possible, explore it with someone you trust, such as a close friend or pastor. If it feels safer, feel
free to send me a note and I will do my best to point you in the right direction.
If you enjoyed this post and wish to read the expanded version, I encourage you to visit/subscribe to my blog at
tracybrichards.com/blog. You can also follow Process Of Illumination on Facebook or Instagram
For more information about my ministry email me at tracy@xolifecelebrations.com
For wedding or life celebrant inquiries visit xolifecelebrations.com