Celebrate Fathers

   by Richard A. Cox, Jr.  the author "I, We, Us:  A Journey of Personal Growth and Development"

“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the more valuable assets in our society.”  Billy Graham

      These days the concept of the family is under attack and the role of the father is made light of.  Show your support for fatherhood by loving, celebrating and honoring our fathers.  Father’s day for some is filled with mixed emotions. Some of you grew up with a father and others your father was absent from your household. I want you to focus this year on celebrating the goodness of fatherhood by not only honor fathers but all men who are fathers, father figures, stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends.  However, remember the greatest father of them all is God the Father. 

      Did you know how Father’s day originated?  A woman name Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.  Her father, Henry Jackson Smart, had raised Sonora after her mother died and she wanted him to know how special he was to her.  Her father was born in June, so she chose that month to celebrate fathers.  The first Father’s day was observed on June 19, 1910.  In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day.  Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3^rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.

      Father’s day was established to celebrate the many contributions and sacrifices fathers make daily for the family.    For a Christian father it matters to him how he educates, and guides his children to Jesus Christ. He wants to be a faithful Christian role model for his family.   In Ephesians 6:4(AMP) it says, “Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.” Christian fathers strive to raise their children in the training and admonition of the Lord.  God desires children to be nurtured by fathers who love Him.  That’s why we should celebrate Fathers for being a good provider for his family.   Remember this Father’s day, it’s not all about giving a gift to your father he might simply enjoy hearing you say, “I love you Daddy!” 

       In Ephesians 6:1-3(NIV) it says “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your Father and Mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may livelong on the earth.”  This honor involves you showing love, respect and appreciation to God for the parents He has given to you.  Father’s Day is your opportunity to celebrate your father and father figures for their love, support, encouragement, guidance and protection.    

         Father’s day is where you stop and reflect on the fond memories of your father.  As a young child you might have said, “Daddy can do anything!””As a teenager you might have said, “Oh, that man! He’s hopelessly out of date.”  As a young adult you might remember saying “Why don’t we get Dad’s opinion before we do anything.”  Your father might have passed and you might have said, “I’d give anything if Dad were here so I could talk this over with him. “  Our cherished memories about our Fathers are the reason we take the time each year to celebrate him. 

                  Remember Christian fathers are those beacons of light faithfully serving in your homes, communities and churches. In Matthew 5:16 (KJV), it declares, “Let your light so shine before men , that they may see your good works and glorify your Father  which is in heaven.”  Christian fathers take every opportunity to encourage, to warn, to teach, to counsel, and to model the Christian life for you. Celebrate and thank God for blessing your father and special men who have a fathering spirit in your lives. Enjoy the quality time you get to spend with your father this year on his special day.

                                                                   What Makes A Dad

                                     God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree,

                                     The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,

                                     The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night,

                                     The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle’s flight,

                                     The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed,

                                     The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,

                           Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to

                            add,      He knew His masterpiece was complete,

                                                  And so, He called it…Dad

                                                                     Author Unknown