Dear Fathers.
Recall in the horse and his boy by CS Lewis? All the things that saved Shasta in the end, Aslan (the Jesus figure) says. Those were me.
The cat who protected you from the jackals in the desert by the tombs. The Lion who scared you away from the cliff edge. And the Lion who gave you strength of fear to run the last few miles. And the lion you do not recall, who pushed the boat to shore when you were a baby. That was always me. – Paraphrased
This makes me think of a story of Papa. When I got my first horse at 13 years old, I thought I knew everything. Papa knew an awful lot about horses and was constantly trying to help with him but you know it teenagers are like. In an old video I found of when I first had River and was saddling him, you see me put on all of his tack and then you say papa very quietly step up behind me and tighten the saddle. I never knew that he had done it until I saw the video. We don’t always see the things you do for us dad’s, but we will see it if they ever stop, because we have taken for granted a lot of your protection and your caring. Sometimes we don’t thank you for the times we woke you up a quarter to 1:00 because we had heard a big noise in the house. Sometimes we don’t thank you for taking time out of your meetings to help us figure out how to multiply decimals. Sometimes we don’t thank you for the days off work you took to take our pets to the vet’s appointments. Sometimes we don’t think to thank you for all those Christmases you lifted us up so we could put the star on top of the tree, a spot we could have never reached without your shoulders. Like our fathers quietly and constantly protecting us and caring for us we don’t always notice that God is. He’s always there protecting us guiding us comforting us and we don’t always notice and we don’t always remember to thank him but we should remember to thank him.
God is called our good Father because that who He is. He loves us enough to direct and discipline, but He also loves us enough to protect us at all cost. It takes a strong man to be the imitation of God as Father within the home.
Rise up men, daddy’s of courage, strength and Valor! We need you! And if we haven’t said it yet. We love you, thank you for all you do.
Category: Father’s Day
Good good Father
Fathers
Recently I was reminded of the times when my dad really stepped up for me. Times when I just couldn’t do it on my own. Today my dad, with an injured foot, carried my Kayak down to the water for me, walked my dog and loaded and unloaded our truck twice. And it’s Father’s Day. It should have been about him, but instead he took care of me. Why? Because that’s what dads do. Not all, but the good ones do. He’s always putting me first becuse he’s my daddy and he loves me. A good father reflects our Heavenly Father. God is always putting us first. He takes care of us. He forgives our sins and fixes our screw ups. We hurt Him and then run back to Him and He pulls us into His arms and tells us that we are His. He punishes us so we will do better and won’t end up in hell. He helps us because He wants us and loves us. He even sacrificed His only true son so that we, unworthy kids he took in out of love, would be able to see Him some day. God, who is the best Father, gives everything for us. Just like a great dad always does. A true Father mimics God in how He cares for His kids. Just as my dad cares for me.
Happy Father’s Day!
Big messes and loving hands
The day began with a clang, then a bang and a screech of upset as dad cringed from his chair by the TV, “are you okay?” He called, knowing the answer. The irritated growl of a pig tailed, overall wearing, covered in diesel little girl comes around the corner, “no, I am not okay.”
Silently dad puts down his coffee and comes to see what happened. Outside the tractor is out and the hood is up and the side is covered in something wet that smells similar to the wet diesel on the girl. Dad shakes his head, “how much did we lose?”
The girl thumps down the can with one hand, showing how empty it is.
“I just wanted to fill it for you, but it was so big and heavy….” she flings her arms wide and gestures at the mess around her to finish her sentence.
Dad nods his head, “that is a really big can, too big for you to have to lift. Tell you what? I will go to town and buy three smaller cans of diesel and then you don’t have to lift the big one when you fill the tractor.”
A lip quivers as the girls nods her head, “I’ll get my money to pay for it.”
Dad laughs and puts the gas cap back on the tractor, “no need for that, I’ll take care of it.”
“But it’s my mess.”
“That doesn’t matter, I’ll still take care of it, and how about we get some ice cream?”
Small arms hug dad causing him to smell like diesel too, “thanks daddy.”
Dad nods again and the two go into the house to get the truck keys.
“At least this time I didn’t put gas in the diesel tractor huh?”
Dad grimaces, “yes, thankfully you didn’t do that.”
Then they laugh and drive to town.
Good dads are an example of our Heavenly Father. We make big messes and He cleans them up. We offer our tiny offerings to cover the cost, but He has already covered it for us. He loves us past the failed attempts and broken tries. He loves us when we are pouting and when we are laughing, His our dad.
I am so thankful for all the dads that are good men and great Fathers and show the love of God through their own actions. I am thankful for all dads like this, but I am mostly thankful for my own.
Happy Father’s day’
A manly need to protect
In one my favorite novels the MC ends up with a new baby brother; what I love is the part where it says that he suddenly felt a manly need to protect this small form. That is what a dad is. He was the cool kid with the motorcycle and thick wavy hair who married the shy pretty pastor’s daughter, suddenly there is a small form that comes into their lives and he changes from the cool kid to the big bear, the protector, teacher, friend. A manly need to protect comes over him. Don’t miss that word manly. There is nothing weak about being a good father, it’s the opposite, it takes a great strength to be a good dad. God is our Father. God-all powerful being, is our Father. Father is a word synonymous with strength. God gives us dads to provide for and protect us. When a baby is born the man changes from self sufficient island to nurturing care taker, his need to see his child safe, to see them grow, to cry when they hurt to hold them strongly when they’re scared, is all a show of his strength as a person, to become more than himself, to become what they need him to be, that’s a father.
#HappyFathersDay
Lent devotional 27
The struggle is real.
We all have seen the sign, T-shirt, Facebook meme, “the struggle is real”. It’s become a joke in many aspects, but how many have lived it? I know amazing people who have lost jobs, spouses, children, homes, and eventually their faith. We say Job testing, but thank God that most of us have never been that far down the broken road. Not because Job did anything wrong, but because his suffering was unmatched, there were times when I assumed God was speaking in parables but no, that amazing man truly went through all that. I know people who have been as close to a Job suffering as I have ever seen, and yet they never gave up or lost hope. These people have felt weak, like being strong hurt too much, but in those moments they chose not to be strong but to still be brave, because it takes courage to trust God. We can be weak, strength wasn’t what God told us to have, Faith is. Don’t give up!
Imagine what Jesus felt as He walked the road to The Skull? Do you think He felt strong? No. But He had Faith is His Father! Jesus knew that in the end God would be waiting with open arms, so He stumbled forward bravely. Thanks to Jesus we also get to have Him waiting for us at the end with open arms. He knows weariness and pain, don’t think that He doesn’t understand because He does. Only Jesus is worth our Hope, and because of Him we have hope.
DAD!
A little girl walks down the street, skipping and humming as she makes her way to Church where her father, (the Pastor) is preparing to give his sermon. It’s a big day for her. Today she sings a solo at the Church about God as our Father. She has new stockings under her best dress and her mom has curled her hair. As she skips her shoe catches in a crack and she falls, tearing her new stockings and getting fresh blood down her dress. She sucks back a cry and stands up. Then falls again. Her shoe is broken. Now she cries. Loud and clear. Suddenly two arms lift her up and she sees her daddy, out of breath from running and now getting blood and dirt on his tie. He carries her to the Church. Cleans her wounds and puts on new bandages and then smiles at her. “You were late so I came to find you. Next time you decide to battle the sidewalk wait for me so I can help you.”
The little girl laughs and her dad places her on the floor, and they walk into the Sanctuary, five minutes late. People tap their watches and scowl but the little girl’s dad just takes her to the pulpit so she can begin her song and the service can start.
God is that dad. He comes running when we fall, he lifts us up and cleans our wounds, then he walks beside us on our path that he has set us to. People grumble sometimes and cast us looks, but God just keeps on pulling us forward to where we need to be.
Happy Father’s Day!
Thank you God for always being my dad and taking care of me. Amen
Dads
What does the word ‘dad’ mean to you? What is your first thought when you hear someone say father? I think about strength, courage, endurance, sacrifice.
When someone says ‘dad’ I imagine my father. When someone says ‘father’ I imagine God.
God is our father. Why? Why is God not just our boss? Our master? Our king? Our friend? Why is He also our Father? God is our father because He knew we would need a protector, strong arms to run into when we are afraid, strong hands to fend away those who would harm us and courage to not run away from our need. He knew we would need wisdom, knowledge and just general know how for when we are confused or do not know where to turn.
He knew we would need a steadfast and loving heart for when this world crushes ours. God is our Father for every single meaning of the word.
Not everyone has a dad on this earth to run to, but everyone (no matter their age, abilities or needs,) everyone has a father in God.
Dads are our earthly version of Father, to the best of their abilities. Everytime they try, Everytime they help, Everytime they are understanding and protecting and loving, they are being father, just as God intended them to be.
Thank you Fathers for all you are and all you help us to be.
Happy Father’s Day
Please feel free to comment what your dad means to you and to connect him to this site so he can see what you said.
Carried in the cross 