When You Need a Father
In case you slept through the weekend just finished, last Sunday was Father’s Day.
On behalf of all the dads out there, thanks for the thoughts and tributes, even though most all will agree that our families are the best gift we could ever receive. Still, it’s nice to be noticed.
This is a manufactured holiday, begun in 1910 by a woman in Spokane, Sonora Smart Dodd, who wanted a counter-point to Mother’s Day. She was raised by a Civil War veteran and widower who, alone, shepherded along Sonora and her five brothers and sisters. A nice remembrance.
Today, Father’s Day is a cultural tradition and marketing bonanza. The other day at Fred Meyer I had to weave my way through a maze of BBQs and flattops just to get to the Doritos.
For some who had great dads, the day is one to stop and think and be thankful for what you were taught as you grew up being mentored, guided, challenged, taught, and disciplined by a less-than-perfect, but good, man. For many others, however, the day can ring somewhat hollow. Their experience with a father was anything but something to celebrate.
This can add confusion to one’s faith-life if an earthly father was not so good and then we are called on to listen to, admire, adore, follow, and worship a heavenly father. That person has nothing to build on from life to understand God. One writer has said that he has spent years trying to wipe the face of his father from the face of God.
One of the Psalms can help fill in some of the blanks. Ps. 103 is a song of praise, and the middle part of it describes a bit of the nature and actions of God toward his children (that’s you!). Read it over.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Stop for a moment and look around the room. Breathe deeply. Now, read it again a bit slower this time, personalizing the plurals to yourself. Let the truths soak into your heart.
The final couplet captures who we are: Weak at critical times and as shifting as dust.
And to us, he is a Father. Tender and compassionate. Pursuing with unfailing love while removing sins. Merciful and wise, teaching through failures rather than punishing. Here is a snapshot of your Father:
He is good in all he does
Faithful to father you along your way
Aware and listening to your heart
Speaking words of encouragement, mercy and counsel
Disciplining for your growth and good
Close when you are down
Now, that’s a father worth celebrating, every day.
My hope is that you still have the chance to thank your dad for building his life into yours, and if he is gone, invest some time remembering and evaluating how you are doing with what he left you. Even less-than-stellar fathers leave legacies in us to learn from. After all, we are just tall children.
Most of us can also think back and identify those who have been spiritual fathers to us. These ones poured into your life and played a role in your maturity and impact today. Remember them. If they are still around, let them know how they impacted your life for good since encouragement is everyone’s fuel for the next lap. If they are gone, speak their name to others.
And all of us would be wise to stop today and express thanks to our heavenly Father for his ongoing work in and around us. He is a good, good Father.
Abba, Father, with all I have and hold dear, thank you.
Some Father’s Day Songs…
Funnies, sure, you got ‘em right here…
Dad fancied himself as a gift to every setting and anyone.
After dinner one evening, my dad starting entertaining our dinner guest by playing the piano.
At one point he turned to the visitor and said, "I understand you love music?"
"Yes," murmured the guest politely. "But never you mind, you keep right on playing..."
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A cowboy from Texas walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going home to Texas for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the cowboy handed over the keys to a brand new Ford F-250 King Ranch. The truck was parked on the street in front of the bank. The old cowboy produced the title and everything checked out.
The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank’s president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the cowboy from the south for using a $85,000 pickup truck as collateral for a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the truck into the bank’s private underground garage and safely parked it.
Two weeks later, the old cowboy returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07, and took the keys to his truck.
The loan officer said, “Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out on Dunn & Bradstreet and found that you are a Distinguished Alumnus From Texas A&M, a highly-sophisticated investor, and a multi-millionaire with real estate and financial interests all over the world.
What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?”
The good ‘ole Texan replied, “Where else in New York City can I park my truck for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?”