I am a proud dad, and I look forward to Father's Day, coming up in a couple of weeks. On this day, we are especially reminded of the important role that fathers have in raising up the children we have been blessed with. When our children are young, they give us hand-drawn Father's Day cards expressing their love. At the end of the average work-day they run to greet us shouting, "Daddy's home!" Their admiration is also a humble reminder that they love us even though we often fall short in being the fathers we want to be. This love that our children give us can encourage us as fathers and mothers. We serve as examples to them as they observe our every action and hear the words we speak.
For some of us however, Father's Day may be a reminder of how our own fathers have failed us. For some of us, our fathers did not provide a good foundation or provide us with a good example of how we should act with our own children. The shortcomings of our earthly fathers can sometimes serve as an encouragement to be different, so that our own children can have a better example to live by.
The best guidance we have for this is God Himself. In Mathew 5:11, we are reminded that "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him." This heavenly Father will never forget us or be unfaithful. He can heal us from our hurts and restore relationships.
by Mark Moes
