2024-06 So God Made a Father

On Father’s Day, June 16, 2024, our nation will pause to celebrate its fathers. If you are blessed to still have your father, be sure to honor him. If your father has passed on, it might be difficult and bring sadness, but you can find solace in treasured memories of him. In too many cases, people have broken relationships with their fathers or never knew them, therefore, it is not possible or realistic for those children to celebrate or experience warm, positive feelings. In those cases, you can still celebrate with your Heavenly Father.

Even if you can’t celebrate with your earthly father on Father’s Day, you can still celebrate with your Heavenly Father. Psalm 27:10 tells us, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” and Psalm 68:5
Reminds us that, God is “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”

In this earthly life, fallen men often go against the will of God but His design and purpose for fathers is ordained. He created them to be his surrogates on earth. Fatherhood is a divine role and calling originated with God himself. Being a father, stepfather, grandfather, or foster father is an opportunity to love and care for children as God loves and cares for us. Author, May Patterson imagined some of the considerations God took in creating fathers.

At the dawn of time, God looked down on all He had made and said, “Now, I need a caretaker.”
      So, God made a father.
God said, “I need someone to teach children to fish, and to ride a bike without training wheels, and to play catch in the backyard. It must be someone who’s tough enough to run a chainsaw and wield a machete and yet, gentle enough to join his little girl and her dolls for tea.”
      So, God made a father.

“I need someone to bring the car around when it’s raining, so everyone else can stay dry. Someone who will keep jumper cables in his truck, just in case he needs to help a stranger. I need someone to notice practical things, like how the tread on the tires is wearing and if the weather stripping around the front door needs replacing, for no one else will.”

“I’ll create someone who’s strong enough to open a tightly sealed jelly jar and tall enough to place the angel on top of the Christmas tree. Someone who will be gracious enough to let his son fish the best fishing hole or to let his daughter win at least one hand of gin rummy.”

“Yes, he will struggle to find his glasses and keys,” God thought. “But I’ll help him find time for the important things, like tumbling with the kids in the den floor, or saying ‘I’m proud of you, son,’ or giving Mama a hug.”
      So, God made a father.

God said, “I need someone brave enough to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, for no one else seems to want the job. Someone who’s not afraid to go into Grandma’s dark cellar, or to check on what goes bump in the night, or to remove the dead mouse from the mousetrap.”

“I need someone wise enough to know when to let his child fail. Someone who will pick her up, dry her tears and say, ‘Honey, I know you can do it! Give it another try.’”

“I need someone who listens more than he talks. Who will stand by his family through laughter and tears, tornadoes and snowstorms, good times and bad. Someone who will love his kids and love their mother even more.”
      So, God made a father.

God said, “I need someone to provide for the family. Someone who will get up early and stay up late and never complain. I need someone who’s willing to make unpopular decisions and stand by them. Someone to provide authority and discipline, as well as love.”

“I need someone with broad shoulders, broad enough to carry a little child around town and broad enough to pull more than his fair share. Yes, I need someone who will work the second-shift, or take second-best, or play second fiddle, so that his family can have it better than he did.”

“I need someone who is willing . . . willing to man up and provide the love, support and strength his family will so desperately need.”
      So, God made a father.

“Sometimes, he will not feel worthy of the love his family gives him. There will be times when he fails to live up to my ideal standard. But when his family needs him, he will show up, or give up, or do whatever needs to be done.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I need,” thought God as He shook His head. “A father to love my children, and if necessary, to lay down his life for them. Someone . . . well, someone like Me.”
      So, God made a father.

A father is the first hero a little child will ever know and his influence lasts much longer than his life. Yet our earthly fathers regardless of how amazing and wonderful, are still imperfect, but in God, you have a great Father and a perfect Father. And because you are His, you can never be called fatherless. Wear it with pride. You are a treasured member of His family.

On Father’s Day and every day, you can celebrate and trust God’s promises to you:
      He will never leave you or abandon you. Heb. 13:5
      God has reserved a place for you at His table. Eph. 2:6
      He will give you strength when you’re weak. Is. 40:29
      The Lord will love you always. Ps. 118:1
      God will protect you. 2 Thess. 3:3
      He will help you keep going. Ps. 54:4
      The Lord will comfort you in hard times. Ps. 23:4
      He will give you everlasting life. Jn. 6:40

Always remember to honor your Heavenly Father, first then be sure to honor your earthly father or your father figure(s) whether birth father, step-father, foster father, granddad, uncles or special friends. They are to be treasured!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and dad figures. You are so loved. Our next website post will be the 2nd week in July. Please LIKE and SHARE our weekly Facebook posts normally published during the weekend. If you have questions or need assistance, contact us via email at our Contact Page or call (304) 252-4115.