Love Ya Pops!: A Father’s Day Reflection
/My Personal Reflection
Just like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is such an important and significant day to honor our fathers and those who have been father-like to us. Personally, I have been fortunate to have an amazing father who has loved me, poured into me, and taught me what it means to be a man after God’s heart. If there has been anyone who has been a consistent support and encouragement in my life, it would be both of my parents. I could write an entire separate blog on how much I love my mom, but today is about dads (sorry mom!). I think that I take for granted the sacrifice that my dad has made in his life, in order for my sister and I to be where we are today. My dad has modeled what it looks like to put the Lord first before anything else. Of course my dad isn’t perfect, because no one is, but I honor and respect his pursuit of God and the wisdom he has given me over the years and still gives me this day.
So Many are Fathers
Not only has my biological father been a great father to me, but I have also had many older men who have demonstrated father-like wisdom to me. I have learned from other godly men what it looks like to journey through and towards biblical manhood. I would not have been able to navigate through various seasons and journeys of life without godly counsel in my life. This is what the Christian life is all about.
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
As I type this out and reflect on my thankfulness of fathers in my life, I also have to stop and realize that not everyone has this in their life. I have close friends that have lived without a father figure pouring into them and raising them up. Although I cannot relate to this reality, I can offer some hope and perspective, because God does.
A Word of Encouragement
Throughout Scripture, God is referenced as a Father. Jesus himself cries out to God as his Father throughout his ministry and journey to the cross. The posture that Jesus had toward God was directly dependent and positioned toward God as his Father. Many of us remember that when we were little children, we relied heavily on our fathers and mothers because we could literally do nothing without them. We were unable to function without the help of someone else, mainly our parents. This reality is significant as a Christian as well because our dependency and reliance should be directly focused on God and God alone.
In 2 Corinthians 6:18, the Apostle Paul references from the book of Hosea, “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” This is an amazing truth that we should claim and proclaim—that God is our Father! God is an even greater father than the best earthly father out there, and no matter what we are going through, we can trust our heavenly Father. I encourage everyone out there today to honor their fathers and father figures, but even more so, I encourage you to honor God, and to thank him for this gift. Men, because God gives this gift to us as our Heavenly Father, we pour into others in a fatherlike way, as an overflow of how God has given this to us. What a great joy and a great example we have in Him. Happy Fathers Day!