The Hearts of the Fathers

Luke 1:5-17

I was reading this bit here, and one thing stuck out to me.  In verse 17, the angel mentions that John will, among other things, "turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children".  It's an interesting thing to say in this context.  There's stuff about turning people back to the Lord, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, but why the fathers to their children?

I think it points to the importance of fathers.  Both mothers and fathers are important to their children.  I can see it in my own children.  I know how important their mother is.  She is home with them all day, is teaching them and shaping them.  Fathers are sometimes looked upon as "the provider" in our culture, although perhaps less so than before.  But being a father is more than making some money and teaching your kids to throw a football.  I see everyday how much of an influence I have on my kids, for the good and the bad.

The Bible has lots of fathers in them, and most of them aren't very good.  There is a lot of family strife in the Old Testament.  History is littered with delinquent dads and the damage they have done to their children.  I don't think that those who follow Jesus have a monopoly on being good fathers, but I know that in my own life, my faith is an integral part of how I relate to my kids.  They have been entrusted to me by God, and not only do I love them immensely, but I feel the intense responsibility of raising them right.

I wonder sometimes what the world would be like had the world wars not happened.  So many fathers were killed, leaving children without that important influence.  I think the rebellion of the 1960's is directly related to that loss, and the fatherless (both actually and metaphorically) children of that generation had a profound impact on their own children and so on down the line.  When I lived in Paraguay, I saw the effects of the war (over a hundred years prior) that had wiped out somewhere like 50-75% of the men from that country.  The men there were stereotyped as big children with no sense of responsibility.

Anyhow, to all of you fathers out there, make sure you love your children and model and teach them the way they should go.