Father's Day Blues

Father's Day is tomorrow. 

For some, it means a round of golf hitting the ball not so hard so that dad still thinks he has it. It means grilling four separate types of meat on the grill. It means taking the tour of dad's workshop (for the fourth time this year) and commenting on just how nice that birdhouse looks. 

In other words, it is a time of thanksgiving for dad.

But this is not true for all of us.  

Because some will spend tomorrow without any idea who their dad is. Others will be wondering where dad is. Still more will spend tomorrow remembering dad's drunken rage, his unfaithfulness to mom, even his lethargy toward being a parent. 

In other words, it will be a time of sadness. 

Is this the norm? Everyone celebrates Mother's Day, but Father's Day?...Divorce. Premarital impregnation and abandonment. Irresponsibility. Drug use. Alcohol abuse. These things have ruined dads. Ruined relationships. Ruined Father's Day.

This is sad. 

This is sin. 

But even if you won't be fishing tomorrow with an earthly father figure, please don't let Father's Day be a sad one.

Because you do have the best dad anyone could ask for. 

(And I'm not talking about your earthly dad, no matter how wonderful he was...) 

I'm talking about the One who is always there for you. The One who always listens. The One who always loves you. The One who disciplines, but only with your best interests in mind. 

The One who saw you grow up. Who loves you at the present. Who has a wonderful future in mind for you. 

I'm talking about the One who gave up the only Son who perfectly loved, listened to, and obeyed Him. The One who gave up this model child for you--his stubborn, rebellious, wayward child, the one that doesn't listen--just so that one day you might come home. 

I'm talking about the One who never gives up on you. Who always chases after you. Who holds you tightly in his warm embrace.

I'm talking about God.
Your heavenly Father. 
Abba.
Divine Daddy. 

Give thanks tomorrow for any earthly father figure that you have been blessed with, but don't forget about your Heavenly Father either. 

He'd love to have you chat with him. Look through the family history with you and remind you of how much he loves you.

Maybe you could even go to his house!

However you celebrate, may your day be blessed as your remember your fathers and your Father. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Father's Day is tomorrow. For some of us it is happy, for others it is sad. Today I am reminded of the joy that I do have in having you as my Father. Forgive me for the rebellion I have had against you my heavenly Father. Thank you for always being kind, for always being loving, for sending Jesus, your son to die and rise against in order to save me. Thank you Dad for your true love. May I always reside in that love. Help me meditate on that this Father's Day. And I thank you for the father figures you have given me in this life. Be with them. Bless them. Raise them up to be true leaders, fathers who train with God's Word and love with God's love. Amen.