The Big Deal about Father's Day
June 17, 2007
I'll be heading for the mountains till next Saturday, so I won't be posting till then. It's all about camp. From today till Wednesday, we will have 6th-8th graders and from Wednesday through Saturday, 3rd - 6th graders. It is going to be wild and fun.
I am trying to get things in place to leave and it is tough. One of the toughest thins is to say something quick and profound about Father's Day and fatherhood.
On one hand, I say, "What's the big deal?" On the other, I know that it is a very big deal.
Our tendency is to congratulate mothers on Mother's Day and scold fathers on Father's Day.
That is not right. There may be a shortage of active fathers in this world, but there are many, many fully engaged dads, real and surrogate who are active in the lives of their minor and adult children, setting an example of manhood and integrity, and teaching a new generation what it means to live for God and others in a turbulent world.
It is a BIG deal.
B - We recognize the BEST of manhood in a good father. It is the best of manhood because it is an expression of the image of God in Him where he exercises the gifts that flow from the Fatherhood of God through his life and into the lives of his children. When a man is connected to the best God has to offer, he can give his best to others. Men were built for fatherhood and challenged in that role.
I - We celebrate INTEGRITY. My father taught it to me and I have tried to teach it to my children. I try to pass it on to my grandsons and the young men and women I mentor. Integrity is who you are when there is no payoff for doing the right thing, when no one is looking, keeping score, or rewarding your efforts. Integrity is being fully integrated in what we profess, possess, and practice.
G - The big deal about fatherhood is that it is a GOOD thing because it is a GOD thing. It is such a GIANT task that we need God's guidance, strength, and love to fulfill the role. It is such a GRAND thing that when your children have children, you become a GRAND-father. Our model for fatherhood is a Heavenly Father who loves us sacrificially and unconditionally and who holds us to a higher standard than we even imagine for ourselves, shaping us, encouraging us, and training us for GREATNESS.
Happy Father's Day.
I will see you in a week!