It’s Father’s Day!

Every year as this day rolls around I stand in wonder. I am in wonder because I cannot understand what my heavenly Father was thinking when he decided to bless me with such wonderful children. He knew of all my shortcomings and sinfulness and still blessed me with the responsibility of being their father.

I stand in wonder as because I see my believing wife show respect for my position as a father and husband as she discusses with me my decisions without criticism. And she still loves me even though I do not always do right by her or our children.

I shake my head and wonder about the love shown me by my children despite all the ways I have let them down and fallen far short of the father that God intends.

I stand in awe of the power of faith as I see my father, soon to turn 93, reflecting the Savior’s love in his continuing concern for all of his children and their offspring.

I also need to come to my heavenly Father with this confession: I can easily forget the perfect Father you are to me. You knew from eternity I would be sinful and could never be able to get to heaven on my own. So, you sent your only Son to pay for all of my sins. You saw a need that none of your children could fill. My heavenly Father, you gave all you had to make sure I could be with you in heaven. Forgive me when I fail to share that love with my wife and children. I know you will give me the strength to change. Please give me the heart to have the same desire. 

I have been a father since 1975. And no matter the age of my children, I remain a father. As long as my children are still around, there is really no expiration date on starting again to make it right. So I am sharing my resolution found in the attached video.

Two times in the past year I have watched the movie “Courageous.” Once we were on our way to Florida and another time was about two months ago. What is strange is both times I watched it late at night because I could not sleep but my wife could and was not awake. That alone should tell me that the message of the movie was just for me.

The movie traces the lives of four police officers and one of their friends as they face challenges not only in their professional lives, but also in trying to live out their role as fathers and the head of their respective families. These men finally realize they need to resolve with each other to conduct themselves and guide their families within certain guidelines–the guidelines set out by the Bible and not this world.

I believe it is good, no, necessary for me to commit to those same guidelines–but with one difference. I want to say thank you to God for loving this child of his. I love my children and only want the best for them. I want to love my wife as God expects me to love her. To allow me to have a continued resolve, I need to begin this as a response to my loving God.

If you want to discover what those guidelines are, please watch the clip below. For me, these are what I need to do to be the best father I can, late though it be. As I said, as long as I have children around, I am a father. I love all of them and their families. Here is one prodigal father who wants to do better.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Hope you come back. I will wait you.