Every father has a secret fear; will his children turn out to be worthy successors? Will his efforts to bring them up be rewarded with responsible successors and inheritors?
The Scripture in Genesis 18: 18,19 showed how God made man (Abraham) father and introduced favours. It means that God uses a father to establish nations. But in Ephesians 6:4, the guide was established when fathers were told never to provoke their children to anger but to apply discipline and instructions to bring them up. It entails learning and teaching plus disciplining the household. Any father who misses this has missed everything.
Now, many schools of thought believe that family is the University of Life, and that the family is the main campus while the main course is Character Building. Satellite campuses are the church, school, institutes, clubs, etc.
The Church focuses on spiritual life, and is based on theory with the Bible as guide. School is purely academic with approved syllabus. Family however is the laboratory and centre for practicals. Teachers in the home are living with you right there. Children are required to do as others do. If you commit error, everyone descends on you. If you pinch fish, they catch you; deal with you until they trash it out. You can’t hide your vices.
So many eyes are on you at home. It’s even the drilling and shaping at home that makes you succeed in Church and School.
The Govt does not groom but punishes offenders. If you err at home, it’s treated by the father, if you err in the society; it’s referred to the police.
Check those things your mom and dad quarrel you about, if you don’t stop them, those things will bring you down later as an adult. Then, the police and prison yard will be waiting for you.
Read also: “A dagger to the ribs of me Lords”
Prison! They call it Correctional Center? Some of us call it ‘Crushing Centre.’ There, you will either die in body or in morality, if you pass time there.
In the prison, you find inmates acting like acting lawyers and judges there. It’s training ground for evil.
If you’re 50 years or so now, check all those who rejected family training when you were kids. Today, how are they? Their flaws have brought them down, except the few that were captured by evangelism teams and brought to a good church. They will now find the good daddies and mommies as mentors. They will guide them with love. Some will be the father you did not care to obey.
Danger: If the family or home fails, if it is not structured to serve as the University of Life for Character Building, if the VC and Registrar (Mom) are weak or absent or useless, the students being the kids will pour into the society as threats.
Now, we ask: Is your home structured and staffed to play this critical role? You as the VC, are you on active duty? What do you know, do you continually seek knowledge? What do you do? Do you work hard to fend for your family in physical and spirit to moral ways? Who is your mentor as father? Who is your own VC? The father of fathers?
Your answers will decide your end, your fears. Success without succession is failure oh. Who is your father, who are you fathering?
