As the proud father of a young toddler, I delight in my son’s smiles, belly laughs and baby babble.

But when my wife and I discovered we were going to have him, I was terrified. I became acutely aware of my weaknesses, sins and ignorance. I thought, ‘Am I ready?’ ‘Will I be a good father?’ ‘Will I honor God in this new role?’

A healthy fear gripped my heart as I felt the weight of this solemn call. I began to realize that many commands in Scripture now applied to me. One that came to mind was Ephesians 6:4: “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

This verse made me realize that I would be one of the primary influences on my son—for good or bad. How he sees me live will have a strong bearing on who he becomes. Proverbs 23:26 tells us: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”

Again, I began to question myself: ‘Will I honestly be able to say to my son when he is older, “Let your eyes observe my ways?”’ “Will he see me obey, love, praise and fear God?’ ‘Will he see me sacrificially love him and his mother?’

I wanted to live up to the standard the Lord had called me to. But I knew it was too high for me to attain alone. Hebrews 13:20-21 gave me the reassurance I needed: “Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.”

When my son was born, I learned what it meant to serve—not to be served. And I’m still learning!

As a newborn, my son went through his “fussy” period, which started around 6 pm and lasted for three hours. It felt like forever. Stress runs high when you’ve worked all day, you just want a few minutes to decompress and your baby is screaming.

My wife, who took care of him all day, would hand him to me so she could make dinner. At those times, the example of Christ pierced me: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Sometimes service looks like bouncing your child, rocking him, making funny faces and doing whatever works to stop him from crying.

But the blessings of fatherhood far outweigh the challenges. Words cannot express my delight when he greets me at the door and can’t wait to be swept up in my arms. As I embrace him, I’m flooded with emotions I can’t easily define: joy, protection, love, gratitude.

I cherish my son with my entire being. Since becoming a father, I’ve gotten just a glimpse of the love God has for me.

I am humbled.