A Day for Dads

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV). Father’s Day always brings mixed emotions for me. There is always the joy of hearing from my children. We get an opportunity to talk every week, but hearing from them on this day is a little different; it is somehow more important and therefore special. However, there is also a simple sadness that I don’t get to make that kind of call to my Dad. Daddy would be 100 years old this year had he lived. He died in 1974 at the age of 58. I remember so much about that day. It seems those details have stuck in my mind more than some others that are much happier. I have come to recognize that it is all the more important to realize that, while the other experiences are happier, his death is a greater reminder of the faithfulness of God. After all, that is the day he got to go home. I often hear people talk about the death of a loved one as if they have “lost” them. Might I remind you that you can only lose that which you cannot find? My Dad is not lost. I know right where to find him. He’s home! In our reading today, the apostle reminds us of the enjoinder to honor our parents “that it might go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” I find it easier to honor someone when we remember everything about them. So, today, I will spend some time filtering through the memories of those things he did and said to me through the years. While he was not a believer until just prior to his death, some of the things he taught me by both word and action have stuck with me and proven to be rooted firmly in the Scripture. Perhaps the one principle that sticks out the most was his way of teaching me, subtly at times. I learned the importance of letting my word be my bond; I learned the essential of family first; I learned the great joy that comes from being present tense. There are so many things that fill in many of the blanks of my life that he gave to me early in life. These things then become a motivating factor for me to do the same for my children. Certainly this is what Paul meant when he continued: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I am unashamedly proud of my children. It is not a pride in what I have done, but who they have become. Just as I am not perfect, neither are they; but, they have placed themselves on a path to make the journey. I am confident that God has begun this work and will complete it as well. Today is a good day! I hope it is for you as well. If not, take some time to pray your way through the truth that regardless of your earthly father, you heavenly father is indeed perfect in every way. Trust in Him!