Happenings, News

Father’s love

How has your understanding of God deepened since you became a father?
When my wife Kanae was pregnant with Kiyoshi and I felt him kick, I loved him. I loved him even before I saw him. I had tears in my eyes, saying to my wife, “Baby, I love him.” I never saw him smile, he never did anything to make me love him. I just loved him because he was mine. So that helped me understand the father’s love that God has for us because we are his children.

The Bible says He knew us even before we were born. I can relate a little bit to that because I knew Kiyoshi’s name before he was born. So, I am very thankful for the unconditional love and the new life God has for us.

How is this understanding shaping your relationship with your son?
It helps me to be a better father. There is no better father than our Heavenly Father. He is the most patient, the most caring, the most forgiving, the most self-controlled.

I know I am not going to be a perfect father, but I want my son to be happy. I want him to know Jesus and I want whatever God wants for him. Although my parents did not know what God had for me, God always has a plan. All I need to do is to encourage Kiyoshi about this.

I still want to discipline him so he’s not a spoilt brat. I want him to be thankful for what he has, to work hard, save. Also, I am not going to bully him. And if he gets a B at school, or a C at school, that’s okay. I had Cs and Ds at school sometimes, but I am happy and successful.

You don’t need As or Bs, but you need Jesus.

I’ll push him, but at the same time, I’m not going to push him that hard.

How would you define Christian fatherhood?
Being a father who knows God has helped me so much. I can’t imagine being a father with my own wisdom, in my own strength, and my own patience. Fathers need God’s patience, God’s wisdom, and God’s strength.

Without God, I can’t even be a good husband.

It’s like picking up your cross, denying yourself and following God. So, you need to love more than you are loved, forgive more than you are forgiven, and be more patient than the patience you receive. It’s striving to become the best that you can be because of God’s love.

So, it’s about reminding yourself of the promises of God and in reading the Word.

When I’m home, my wife and I always read the Bible together in the morning for 20 minutes to 45 minutes no matter what is happening. We have coffee, Kiyoshi runs around, and we read the Bible.

I read out loud and we pray for each other. That’s how we start the day. We see the benefits and the blessings and the presence of God when we do that.

An exclusive interview by Michelle Lee

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Nick Vujicic was born with a rare condition called tetra-amelia syndrome which resulted in him having no arms and legs. He turned his disability into a strength and now travels the world giving motivational talks and spreading the gospel.

Nick married Kanae Miyahara in 2012 and their son, Kiyoshi, was born the next year.

Reprinted with permission from Covenant Community Methodist Church’s quarterly magazine, Loaves + Fishes (Apr/Jun 2014 issue)

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Michelle Lee is 13 years old and attends One Community at Covenant Community Methodist Church. She conducted an exclusive interview with inspiring motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, about what Christian fatherhood means to him.

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