Fathers Can Change the World

Happy Father’s Day. I know that some of us had the best dads in the world and love celebrating this day but others of us may dread it. Maybe your Father has passed away and it hurts, or maybe you had an estranged relationship with him. Wherever you are today in regards to Father’s Day, you are in our prayers and we love you.

I was 21 when I learned about the Father heart of God. Each morning while I was at missionary training school, a speaker would share with us about God’s love, mercy and care. I related to much of what was said. My own father cared about me. He was only 18 when I was born but he learned a trade in order to provide for his family. By the time he was 20, he had two children. He was a child himself but he got up and went to work each day to make money so he could take us out for ice cream, pay our sports fees, and give us special treats. We didn’t have a ton extra but we had each other and we had our needs met.

Besides basic provisions, my dad also taught me how to play sports. I had a little brother and as we got older, my dad would throw the softball around with us. He had a powerful arm. I remember that he threw the ball just as hard to my brother as he did to me. He treated me like an athlete and made me better. I excelled at sports and became an all-state utility player.

I also remember one day coming home from college. My friends wore these cool duck boots. I told my dad that I wanted to go shopping and get some new boots. He took me shopping and bought these incredibly expensive boots for me just because I liked them and wanted them.

The one thing about my dad that I could never quite understand is that he couldn’t say, “I love you” to me while I was growing up. He came close and said, “I wub you too” in a muffled voice after I said, I love you to him one day. We never talked deeply about feelings, life, boys, or God. He was a hard-working man who loved his family but was not a man of many words especially when it came to feelings. This was a problem though because God designed me to be a talker and an emotionally tender hearted woman. I needed to process a lot but lacked the opportunity to do so. I began to feel unloved and misunderstood. I went looking for love in all the wrong places.

During those morning sessions years later at missionary school, I learned that God is my Father and He likes to talk. He made me and understood how I was designed. God knew I needed to feel loved and be loved. He tenderly worked on my heart to clean it, heal it, and put it back together. My Heavenly Father, showed me that I was His beloved child. I grew in my faith and relationship with God so much during that time of life.

My relationship with my dad today is better and he can say, “I love you” now as we get off the phone. We still can’t talk deeply or share emotions but I know he loves me and he knows I love him. My earthly dad and my heavenly Father play such a big role in my life and I am so happy to celebrate this Father’s Day loving them and being loved by them.

If you need a gift to give your dad, consider giving him, Made to Change the World: Your Life Matters. The Kindle version is on sale this week for only .99 cents. You can write him a letter letting him know how he has changed the world by being a great dad.

Happy Father’s Day.