Father's Day

When I started to write this post, my first inclination was to title it "Happy Father's Day!" Then, I realized that for some, Sunday won't be a very happy day.

For many of us, the day is a joyous one, full of ugly ties and useless homemade ashtrays given by tiny tots to their biggest superheroes. Family gatherings are used to pay tribute to dads, and preparing for the day causes us to reflect on the love of our earthly fathers.

I've heard that a lot of people view God based on how their earthly fathers treated them. That's not really fair to God, because He does not have failings that mortals do. He is perfect in His love and care for us. Unfortunately, some men can mess up the concept of a Heavenly Father for their children. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have a father who lovingly raised us to adulthood should thank God in Heaven every day.

Some have recently lost a father. That will make it hard to get through the day. For others, growing up in a home with a less than perfect or even abusive father makes the day an unpleasant reminder of days past.

We all need to be sensitive to those around us on "holidays" because these made-up days have different meanings for us all. The person sitting next to me in church may have to summon every ounce of strength to just make it through the day with the raw emotions they are feeling. Many of us who grew up "in the church" had the best of the best fathers, and it is out of the realm of our experience to understand, let alone sympathize with, those whose familial experience was more of a nightmare! Many times, we turn up our pious noses at broken families, as though they are not deserving of the Heavenly Father's love and grace.

Let us all help one another to see that our Heavenly Father is so much greater than any man; He will never let us down or hurt us or stop loving us or fail to provide for us, and he will never, never leave us! While our earthly parents deserve our honor, God deserves it so much more...and that is what this Sunday is really about....

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