20/07/2026
Fatherhood is an interesting journey.
Iāve often said that fatherhood is best modelled by fathers who have gone before us. But the older I get, the more I realise that fatherhood doesnāt begin with fatherhood.
It begins with manhood.
Many of us grew up trying to become fathers before we had ever been shown how to become men. Some had absent fathers. Others had fathers who were present physically but absent emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. We inherited a name, but not always a blueprint.
When a blueprint is missing, we donāt stop building, we build from whatever is around us. However healthy men are often formed by healthy men.
God, in His mercy, placed men in my life who didnāt simply fill the absence of a father, they revealed the Father.
Growing up in a single-parent home with my mother made me nurturing, emotionally expressive, and sensitive. Those arenāt weaknesses, Jesus Himself wept. The issue wasnāt that I had emotions.
The issue was that I didnāt know how a godly man was meant to govern them.
There came a moment when I realised I wasnāt āmanāinā the way God intended. I was soft where leadership was required, hesitant where responsibility was needed, and overly emotional in moments that demanded conviction.
Not because I lacked loveā¦Because I lacked formation.
Papās, watching you taught me that biblical masculinity isnāt measured by dominance, but by submission, submission to Christ.
You showed me that strength is ruling your spirit. That leadership carries responsibility before it exercises authority. That holiness is the highest expression of masculinity.
Thank you for showing me that the answer to the question, āWhat is a man?ā is found in Christ.
And thank you for living that answer before meā¦and for showing me what it looks like to first become a man fully submitted to Jesus.
Love you Papās š¤
