I had a conversation with a librarian. In our conversation, she asked me, “Why don’t black men take care of their children?”—another surprising question from a librarian. You’d expect that a person that is a gatekeeper of books would know better than to ask that question.
If she knew my story, she’d know that black men take care of their children. She’d know—if she knew my story—that my father was widowed with six kids under his care the day his wife did not return from the hospital as she was rushed there to have child number seven. He diligently cared for his children till all were graduated from high school. Four graduated from college. One became bank president; one took our grandmothers’ recipes and started a successful business; one became a teacher; one became a minister. Dear librarian, if you know a person’s story, you’d know the truth. The truth is: black men, weighted down by the sack of systemic racism, didn’t just care for their children, they lift them up.
This Father’s Day, seek to know the story of fatherhood as you honor fathers, yes, even the spiritual story of fatherhood. It’s not about what kind of father you had, but whose father are you when God is your father—whose DNA you carry. There is a test that will tell the story.
Whose father is yours should not be a surprise when you look at His DNA test. The “D” stands for divine deliverance born of faith. The “N” stands for divine nature led by the Spirit. The “A” stands for divine adoration—a love rooted in sacrifice. Not only does spiritual DNA identify God as your father, it also tells what kind of father you are and what kind you are to be: born of faith, led by Spirit, loving with sacrifice. This Father’s Day, there should be no “silly, uninformed” questions of fatherhood. The “DNA” will tell the story.
The DNA Story: The “D” stands for a divine deliverance born of faith in the God the Father through the Son. Faith in Christ, the son, makes God your Father according to John 1:12:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
Father Abraham received Father God by faith. He believed in God, evidenced by his moving from the security of his pagan home to an unknown land God would show him, to improve the lot of his sons to include you and I according to Hebrews 11:8: 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
What does this story ask of you? Does your daily living reflect a DNA faith—stepping out so your kids have a leg up? What does the story require of you? — to live a born-again life birthed in faith. Faith makes God your father.
The DNA Story: The “N” stands for divine nature—a nature led by God’s Spirit.
Being led by the Spirit of God makes God your father who adopted you according to Romans 8:14,15:
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:14,15:
How does that look in the story? Joseph, led by the Spirit, accepted Mary, despite the ridicule of men. He did the right thing when it wasn’t the popular thing. We see that in Matthew 1:24:
24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife. Matthew 1:24
What does the story ask of you? What is leading you in your daily living—the Spirit of God or fear of public opinion? Melvin Quinney spent twenty years imprisoned for a crime he did not do—harming his children. He was recently released.
“To the rest of the world, I am a convicted criminal. While I had resigned to live with this shadow, my children pushed me to clear my name. Being a father is the best and most important job I’ve ever had.” Melvin Quinney
What does the story require of you? Live led by your DNA nature—the Spirit of God. Spirit makes God your father.
The DNA Story: The “A” stands for divine adoration—to love like God loves. Loving one another the way God loves you makes God your father who is love according to I John 4:7:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Love is not just an attribute of God. It is His essence. God is love, not just any love, but a greater love, made greater through sacrifice according to John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
What does the story ask of you? Is your love a “laying down your life” love? Does how you love your children reflects how God loves you?
Love like God loves you—sacrificially. Love makes God your father and you a godly father.
The question for everyone this Father’s Day is, not so much, what kind of father you had, but what kind of father are you—born of faith, led by Spirit, loving with sacrifice? Not everyone is as fortunate as I was to have an earthly father who cared like God the Father. But we all have the opportunity to pass forward a fatherhood we carry in our spiritual DNA.
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