Today is Father's day and it brings me great sorrow and much joy. The sorrow comes from losing my hero and the great joy comes from knowing that my Father in heaven is with me. As I write, I realize there may be women out there that didn't grow up with a father, or their father was abusive, hurtful or absent. Unfortunately, not every one is a good parent and for that I have great sorrow in my heart. But I am encouraged by God, because in the absence of a father, He is all we need.
My father was a wonderful man. He made leaf piles for us to dive into and gave us ski lessons, swimming lessons, and life lessons. He loved us and showed us every day that he was committed to his family and my mother. He sacrificed much, so that all of our needs would be met, no matter how many hours he had to work. For most of my life, he worked seven days a week and would come home and play with us, do homework or just sit and listen to us.
He was an unbelievable role model, not just for the four of us but for the nine grandchildren he left behind. He instilled in my brothers to cherish their wives and to make time for their children. He taught me what a man looks like and acts like. He cared for our mother with passion and remained by her side until she died. He was everything and yet, I still have a great Father. I can't see Him but I feel Him, I read about Him and I pray to Him.
No longer do I have a physical man to be my father but I do have Christ. I hope to see my dad one day. And I am so thankful for the care, consideration and respect he gave me. The loss is great but if I didn't have Christ, the loss would be shattering. If I have learned one thing in the last six years, it's to really depend upon Jesus Christ. I don't know what people do without Him and I'm glad I never have to find out. He is my crutch. And although I miss my father horribly, I have a Father still guiding me through life's challenges, holding my hand when I get hurt and guiding my feet through the fire. I can't see Him but I know He is near. Even when I disappoint Him, I know He stands beside me.
I am encouraged that all of us have the power to feel what I feel. To know, that even though our earthly fathers are gone, God is near. If you don't know that kind of love because you haven't asked Christ into your heart, I pray that you will today. A father represents many things here on earth. But God represents something so much more. He is love. People can let us down, abuse us, neglect us and throw us away, but God never does. He is essential to us. We need Him and He loves us.
My hope is that you have all experienced a wonderful earthly father. However, if life hasn't offered you that, please go to a Father that never leaves us. He is with us. We don't have to have a father to experience the full love and grace of Jesus Christ. We just have to receive Him and He does the rest.
If your father is still here, make sure you thank him for the love and guidance he has brought to your life. They are human like us and many times feel as if they have failed us. At the end, when my dad was not feeling very well, he shared with me his deepest regrets. He thought that he had failed all of us. As he laid dying in that hospital, I assured him that he never let us down. Why? Because he never did. He gave his all, loved his family and worked to provide our every need. I am the mother I am to today due to him and my mother. Possessions will never bring us happiness but investing in someone always will. I thank God that He brought my father into my mother's life and that He delivered Him with great peace and grace.
I loved my father will all my heart. I will always remember the joy he provided to my children, how he sat on numerous benches watching my son play, how he guided my sons and showed them how a man should be. He was a great man but with all that being said, Christ has been more. Christ represents the best of my dad without all the baggage. I can go to Him when I am weak and He knows exactly what I need. His love is sufficient and although my loss is great, He covers me.
2 Corinthians 2:4 NKJV:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
John 3:16 NKJV:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
My prayer today:
Thank You Lord, for being our Father. For taking the time to listen to us, love us and be with us, no matter where we are. I pray today that if someone doesn't know You, that they will come before You and confess that You did die on a cross for our sins. I pray that You would show them what You have shown all of us. That a life without You is empty but a life with You is full. You are my Father and I am so grateful for Your compassion and grace. Please lead women to You, through all of us. Bless this blog and give women an understanding of what You mean to me and so many more. I lift up the women in other countries that might not have the freedom we have today and ask You to come into their lives. Freedom comes from You and although we all live in different circumstances; You are the light of the world. My heart goes out to every woman that didn't have a great earthly father. I pray today that they receive something better, a heavenly Father. You are sufficient for me today and I want to honor You always. So on this Father's day, I honor You and thank You for my life. May it be a blessing to You always. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
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