Thank You Father
This Sunday is Father’s Day. It strikes me as one of the more unsung Sundays.
It’s an underrated holiday as holidays go. In our world that largely mocks and belittles dads, the idea of a single day to honor fathers is not a popular one. It ranks right up there with Groundhog Day in its relative importance. Some of that minimalization continues in churches. Mother’s Day is a big deal. Father’s Day… eh, not so much.
God intended for us to honor both our mothers AND our fathers. God intended for men to be the spiritual leaders of the home and to provide for their families, both spiritually and physically. God intended dads to lead, teach, guide, love, and discipline their children. And while some fathers abdicate their God-given responsibilities, not all of them do.
To those of you who had a bad father, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if he abused you or neglected you or was too busy for you. I’m sorry if he didn’t go to your basketball games, never praised you, never said he loved you, or ignored you. You need to know it was not what God intended. But men, you can change that. Don’t be a victim. Don’t play the blame game. But instead, be a cycle-breaker. You can be the father you didn’t have.
To those of you who have a good father, have you thanked him? If not, you should. And more than once a year. Call him and tell him how grateful you are for loving you, loving Mom, for sacrificing, for sticking it out, for not giving up, and doing what God intended. May we honor such men.
And to all of you dads out there who are making the effort, may I just say, “Thank you.” Thank you for loving your wives. Thank you for being both an example and a hero for your children. Thank you for guarding and protecting your families from evil. Thank you for working jobs you hate to support families you love. Thank you for your courage to stop generations of addictions. Thank you for being an intentional spiritual leader of your home. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for standing up for what is right and standing firm in the Lord. Thank you for raising your sons to be gentlemen and your daughters to be ladies. Thank you for loving God and serving Him as you lead your families. Thank you for being the men God has called you to be and that our world so desperately needs.
Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” No man does this perfectly, but there are many men, far more than we often acknowledge, who are seeking to be the fathers Christ has called them to be.
So, thank you dads. We thank God for the blessing you are. For a good father is truly a blessing from The Father.