Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Henry Ward Beecher
It Solidifies the Family
When children see their father loving their mother, they feel loved themselves, because since children love their mother so much, when they see their father loving their mother, it’s as if they are loving their them at the same time, however, the down side is this; if fathers treat or talk to their children’s mother in a bad way, they’ll take it personally, so it’s a double-edged sword that can cut both ways…either for their good (by loving their mother) or bad (by hurting their mother).
Modeling Love
If children see their mother being treated tenderly and lovingly by their father, then they’ll see how they are supposed to love their spouse too. It gives children a template upon which to build their own family relationships someday, but again, if they don’t see their father loving their mother, they might not expect that feeling in a marriage and it could set a bad example for the children. I believe more is caught than taught, so fathers, love your children’s mother, because you are showing them what a godly marriage looks like.
Jesus Christ and the Church
The Apostle Paul describes the relationship between Christ and the church as being joined together as one in marriage and this is perfectly appropriate since the church is called the Bride of Christ. Husbands are commanded to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), so if fathers love their wives as Christ loves the church, “and gave Himself up for her,” then children will see this example as the normative for a husband loving their wife and hopefully, follow that same example.
Reassurance
Children know enough about life to see that marriages of some of their friends are falling apart while other marriages have ended in divorce, but the father that loves their mother as Christ loved the church should give them so reassurance that not all families end up broken, and when their father love their mother, they have that feeling of peace, security and assurance, knowing that mom and dad are committed to one another and aren’t going anywhere, and that stability is what children need and want.
Conclusion
Father’s, there is a lot on your shoulders, but you can control at least one thing in your life; loving your mother and making sure your children know it. Loving your children’s mother helps solidify their feelings about family; it gives children a model to pattern their own lives after when or if they get married; it shows them that dad loves mom in a similar way to Jesus loving the church; and it gives them a sense of security that would otherwise be missing.
