Father's Day

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12 

One of my most powerful memories I have about my dad came from a time we spent at the pool. I was pretty little, maybe 7-8, and dad had me hold on to his shoulders as he swam across the water. It felt like flying. 

It was such a simple thing, but in that moment, I could feel his strength. To a little boy, that meant so much. I was so proud of my dad; he could do anything. He was smart and tall and strong, a big man in a small town. I realize something now what I didn't quite grasp then - that I was incredibly blessed to have had him in my life and to be able to call him "dad".  

I know that everyone's understanding of father is different, as different as our various experiences with our own fathers and father figures. To some this is a touchy subject, to some a bit of indifference, to others, it is wonderful.

One of the most powerful aspects of being a Christ follower, of being "in Christ", is that we all share a heavenly Father, the God who created us, knows us, loves us, guides us and nurtures us. He tells us...

“I will be a Father to you,

    and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

2 Corinthians 6:18

It is so powerful because we all long for and are drawn to the idea of "father", to have a relationship with the one in whom we find our origin, the one who gave us life, and the one whose story we are a part of. 

We all long to live within the knowledge that someone cares for us, will be there for us, who is wise and knows where to go and how to make things right. We long for the one who provides and protects and makes the world a safe place. We long for the one who has answers and knows the truth, whom we can count on and trust, who will keep their promises and be there. We long for the one who will listen and accept, but who will also discipline us out of love to see us grow and become whom we were meant to be. 

No matter who our fathers are, no person could live up to all of this. As great as they may be, it's not fair to expect them to be perfect. They are merely human. 

But our heavenly Father is everything we need and want and hope for in a father. He is the perfect and holy One. He is the good, good Father, and we are blessed to have the privilege of knowing Him and having a relationship with Him through and in Christ. 

This Sunday is Father's Day. 

To all the dads out there - Happy Father's Day. Thank you for being a dad in a world with so many pressures and expectations and with so little room for error. 

Thank you for your day-to-day sacrifices, for your example and dedication. Thank you for being there when it counts, and for doing all you can for your family. 

We honor you and give you respect. It is our honor to take a day to honor you. 

This Sunday, we also honor our heavenly Father, whom we share as a family in Christ, a family where there is ..."neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female..." but all one in Christ. 

He is worthy of our honor and praise because He is everything we as fathers aspire to. 

And this Sunday, we also honor Him for giving us our earthly fathers. 

Happy Father's Day!