Father’s Day is not a happy time for everyone. Some people don’t know who their father is. Others lived in an abusive environment where they were told they would never amount to anything good. No encouragement. No support. Just continual faultfinding to prove how worthless they were. That’s a very difficult situation to overcome, but with God, all things are possible.
I was blessed with a father who thought I could do anything I put my mind to. He encouraged me all the time, picking me up when I fell, letting me go to try again until, sure enough, I succeeded. But that, ironically, presented a very difficult challenge. How could I ever be good enough to meet everyone’s expectations? But with God, all things are possible.
After I had a family of my own, I still visited my dad. I soon learned what would happen if I expressed a desire for something like what he had. I could be looking at a book or a woodworking tool and just mention in passing, “Some day I need to get one of those.” Immediately he handed it to me, his gift, and insisted that I take it. I still have his copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs on my bookshelf, so tattered and worn that the binding has fallen off the yellowed pages.
Of all my father gave me, my most valued possession is his love for God and people. He planted a seed in me that has grown to a passion beyond anything I can put into words.