And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. [2 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)]
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! [1 John 3:1 (NLT)]
I lost my first father the same year I gained my second one. I only had my birth father for twenty years, but I was blessed to have my father-in-law for thirty-seven! Dad J lived his life well—with vigor, enthusiasm, joy, laughter, and a whole lot of love. Compassionate and generous, responsible and helpful, good-humored and resourceful, he was a man of faith and integrity (with a large dose of mischief on the side). The Bible might describe him as a man after God’s heart.
Nineteen years ago, my father-in-law died as the result of a car accident. His severe injuries necessitated him being air-lifted to a distant trauma center and, by the time any family got there, he was gone. Initially, it troubled me that, in his final hours, Dad was alone in a strange place. There was no one to tell him that my mother-in-law (who’d been taken to another hospital) had survived the crash and there were no loved ones to hold his hand or pray with him. Then I realized that Dad was never alone; his Heavenly Father was right there with him, protecting, comforting, and leading him home.
If, at any point in his ninety-six years, Dad had been told that he had only one day left in which to live, I think he would have lived that last day in the same way he lived every other one. He had no regrets, no grudges, no scores to settle, and no debts to repay. There was no one to whom he owed an apology, no amends that had to be made, no deeds left undone, and no loving words left unsaid. He was an example of how life should be lived and an inspiration to us all. In the words of Will Rogers, Jr., “His heritage to his children wasn’t words or possessions, but an unspoken treasure, the treasure of his example as a man and a father.” Indeed, he was as close to an ideal husband and father that any mortal man could be. I enjoy the benefit of his example in my husband and our boys because there’s a beautiful bit of Dad J in them all.
For me, Father’s Day is a day of celebration and thanks because I was blessed by the fathers in my life. Sadly, not every earthly father is worthy of a place in the Dad’s Hall of Fame. While cars and washing machines come with instruction manuals, fatherhood doesn’t. It’s a learn-as-you-go role and even the best fathers make mistakes.
Nevertheless, we must never allow a dysfunctional relationship with our earthly fathers to distort our view of God, our Heavenly Father. Earthly fathers can be untrustworthy and deceitful, but God is faithful and never lies. Earthly fathers might withhold love, but God is love. Earthly fathers can be emotionally or physically absent, but God is every-present. Earthly fathers can be condemning, enraged, and bad-tempered, but God is forgiving, merciful, and patient. Earthly fathers can be brutal and harsh, but God is kind and compassionate. Earthly fathers may play favorites, but God has no favorites! Even the best earthly father is imperfect and temporary, but our heavenly Father is perfect and everlasting.
For those fathers who failed to live up to their roles, may we offer them the same grace and forgiveness our Heavenly Father offers us. Let us leave any bitterness behind and move forward into tomorrow with peace, courage, faith, and humility—confident in the knowledge that we are unconditionally loved by our Father in Heaven!
It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father. [Pope John XXIII]
By now, the visiting family has returned home; the jelly beans, Peeps, and chocolate eggs have been eaten; the Easter lily has wilted; the baskets and bunny décor are back in their boxes; and the hardboiled eggs are long gone. While Easter has been put away for another year, its message didn’t end with the resurrection.
Our sons recently visited to celebrate their father’s birthday. As I watched them work their culinary magic in the kitchen, I marveled at how the boys who once thought Kraft mac n’ cheese to be haute cuisine became gourmet cooks. For that matter, when did they get so tall or those wrinkles appear around their eyes? At what point did the tow-headed boy’s hair darken and start receding or his brother’s turn grey? The changes I observed weren’t just physical. As we talked, I wondered when my once irresponsible boys became so sensible and wise. None of it happened overnight and yet each little change was so subtle it barely was noticed. But, when I thought back to the children and young adults they once were, the change was enormous.
Looking like a cross between a heron and an ibis, the limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is common along Florida’s fresh water canals, wetlands, and swamps. While they’re lovely to look at, they’re not lovely to hear. Often referred to as the wailing or crying bird, limpkins have a loud piercing “banshee” scream that usually is heard at night, dawn, and dusk. During courtship, a male limpkin makes repetitive long, loud, rattling calls while a female replies with slightly lower (but still disturbing) screams.
Today is the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar: the first of the eight days of Hanukkah. Last night, our Jewish brothers and sisters lit the first of the Hanukkah candles. Hanukkah isn’t a Jewish version of Christmas and it’s no more about dreidels (spinning tops), gelt (foil wrapped chocolate coins), potato latkes, or gifts than Christmas is about presents, decorated trees, holiday lights, or Santa. Just as Scripture doesn’t require celebrating Christ’s birthday, it doesn’t require Hanukkah’s observance. Nevertheless, because they both recognize events of great significance to Christians or Jews, these holidays continue to be celebrated throughout the world.
