Lately, I feel that my senses have been heightened in regards to the importance of fathers. It may be because my children are getting older, and I find myself taking a much more active role in their development. It may be that I'm getting older, and I'm understanding "who I am" and making connections to how I was raised as a child.
Whatever the reason, I see fatherhood as extremely important. I love my children very much, and I do my best to tell them that often. In fact, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that I tell all three of them the words, "I love you" an average of five times per day. It's not that I'm laboriously counting or anything, it just comes natural. Kisses and hugs are frequent too.
There are times when I find it's hard being a dad. Like when I have to administer discipline, say no to a request, or can't "be there" physically because I'm working. But my kids are constantly in my thoughts. I think about them all the time, and there are many times - when my workdays aren't going so well - that I look forward to doing some of the simplest things with them. I daydream about playing a game together, or watching tv, wrestling around or having a pillow fight (they're more of pillow missile launches), or just laying around on a bed or a couch answering their questions. I love my kids.
It's not too hard to see where I'm going with this. It comes from Matthew 7:11 when Jesus tells the parents in the crowd: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I take that verse to mean, if you (David) love spending so much time with Jake, Chase, and Bailey, and you love giving them gifts, and hearing their laughter, and seeing them excited when you walk through the door, and comforting them when their hurting, and being one of two main people they come to with 99% of the questions they have about the world, and love just holding them - and you love all of that as evil and imperfect as you are - imagine how much love a perfect, sinless heavenly Father loves you as His child, and how He longs for the fellowship with you, because He is perfect and all-powerful, and all loving, and... I know that's a way run-on sentence, but it could be a run on novel when I really think about how much I love my kids, and how the nothing but the truth bible tells me my heavenly Father loves me.
I want to say Happy Father's Day to my dad, and all the dads who can read - no just kidding - to all the dads who are human and imperfect like me. Hang in there and don't give up. God loves you. We just read it together in Matthew 7, and He longs to tell you each and every day that you stop to pray, read, and just be with Him.
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