| June 29, 2009 | Volume 84, Number 18 | |
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Was Father’s Day a Dad’s Day for you?A few years ago on Father’s Day my wife gave me a little plaque that read, “Anyone can become a Father — It takes someone special to be a Dad.” What did this differentiation mean to me? Well, that same Father’s Day my two kids gave me drawings of us holding hands with hearts rising up to the clouds. They drew me larger than life, like I was a giant to them. I began to get that on this special day that recognizes fathers, all our children want is our love back to them. Our relationship with them is a picture of who Jesus is to them. In their world, we are huge and our role in their lives is crucial. What a ministry we have as Dads!
Our Father’s Day gift was the day our children first entered this world. As we receive all of those ties, hand made cards, and trinkets each Father’s Day, cherish them. They are each a small part of the immense love your child has for you. So why not celebrate the gift of our children by unconditionally loving them back? When we remember Jesus letting the little children come to Him, I don’t remember anything about any concerns that there was a conference call that He had to be on half an hour later! How can we be more efficient with our time at work so we can be home sooner? All our children want is our time. Another curiosity I have is how can we get out of our comfort zones and show our sensitive, vulnerable sides to our kids? Sometimes it may mean doing things with your children that others may question. Recently my daughter and I struggled to find a way to connect. For my son and me it has always been easy as the baseball glove is always waiting at the front door when I arrive home. But one Saturday morning, it was obvious to me that my daughter wanted my undivided time. It was the day before her dance recital, so guess what we did? I got out of my comfort zone and took her for her first pedicure! Yes, a few years ago, I would have reacted the same way that you probably just did. A man heading to a salon is just not a place where we are supposed to be. My daughter in fact was shocked by my idea and continued her concern when the woman in the salon asked us both what color we wanted our nails polished! No polish for me, but yes, work on my aching feet! I have to give my wife tons of credit as she let me in on the secret that pedicures are awesome for men too! For someone with flat feet and a screw in his ankle, my annual pedicure certificate is greatly accepted! Yes, Dads need to be vulnerable to their children. I won’t even begin my story about dressing up as Elvis during the holidays and singing “Blue Christmas” to my family. Even though the pictures were not becoming of me, I believe my kids loved the effort. The days will come to an end when your children run to the door to greet you upon arriving home, but the amazing love they have for you will not change. It may look different as they grow older, but we are Dads for life. Why not be the best we can to our kids while they still are at home and love them back with the eagerness of running to meet them as they did? A blink of an eye and they’ll be on their own. Give it everything you’ve got while you can. So, as we reflect on this past Father’s Day, were we present to our kids and gave them our focused attention? Did we really embrace the Father’s Day gift of having them in our lives in the first place? Don’t worry about how you might be perceived by other Dads. Your kids will love you for the effort no matter the circumstance. And remember, your children will love others in the way you love them, fully and unconditionally.
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In reality, we as fathers have already received the greatest of gifts by actually being entrusted by God to raise our children to prepare them the best way we can before they enter the real world.