The Father’s love for His children

There are few movies that are more uplifting and inspiring than those that depict strong, responsible and faithful fathers. Popular big screen offerings like “Field of Dreams,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Taken,” “John Q,” and even animated favorites such as, “The Lion King.” All these productions introduce us to unforgettable men (and male creatures) who are sometimes willing to lay down their lives for the wellbeing of their children.

While June is the month set aside on the American calendar to celebrate fathers, in the grand scheme of things, dads in this country get the short end of the stick. Restaurants are packed out in May when moms are treated to special meals, and the social media posts that acknowledge these special women seem endless. Most often, fathers are not hailed with the same enthusiasm. That’s proven even by the much smaller area on the shelves that is dedicated to greeting cards to be purchased for dads.

In recent years, it’s become increasingly popular to find cards that say, “Happy Father’s Day, Mom” on the shelves in June indicating that mothers are filling a dual role that includes the one that fathers should be filling. Interestingly enough, we, personally, have not yet seen cards in May that say, “Happy Mother’s Day, Dad.” Apparently, not many card makers want to give custodial fathers the props they are due—however few of them there may be.

We are not diminishing the magnitude of the vital role that mothers play in the lives of their children. Even if we tried to do that, we would fail miserably. It’s undeniable that moms are incredibly important, and every child should love and adore his or her mother with all that is within them. We do, however, want to shine a light on how important the love of a father is as well—especially that of our Heavenly Father. But before taking it to a spiritual level, let’s dwell for a moment on our earthly fathers.

Ours is a blended family. Together, we have three adult children. The biological father of our two daughters passed away while they were still young girls. The biological mother of our only son is alive and very much active in his life. Neither of our three children were born to our union. In fact, they were already adults when we got married; yet, every Mother’s Day and every Father’s Day, our children celebrate us. They recognize and respect us as their parents. We never use the prefix “step” when referring to them, and they don’t use it when they reference us. They are our daughters and son, and we are referred to as their parents…period.

It’s a joy for us to watch both our daughters’ husbands dote on their children. Our son is a very involved father in the lives of his children as well. For all our grandchildren to have loving and committed dads is a blessing. The man we both call Dad (Kendra’s father) is one we cannot imagine our lives without. Dad has lived alone since burying our mom, his wife of 53 years, back in 2014. At the age of 83, not only does he still pastor and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but he has always been a godly role model in the life of his five children.

Every Father’s Day, our daughters, who live close by, are intentional about coming to our home and spending quality time with their dad. Although not their biological father, our girls know that their dad will give just about anything to be sure they are safe, provided for, protected and loved.

Isn’t it amazing to know that our Heavenly Father, although He’s not biologically related to us, will do the same? It should bring us joy and comfort to know that if we have lost our biological fathers to death or if, for whatever reason, they are simply not an active part of our lives, we have a Father who has promised to never leave us, fail us, or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Joshua 1:5). We have a Father who took on human nature, in the form of Jesus Christ so that He could die for us (His children) and redeem man (us) back to Himself. There is no greater love!

Happy Father’s Day to all dads!

Drs. Michael & Kendra Holmes are the senior pastors of Deliverance Revival Church in Warner Robins, Ga., the founders of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC, the authors of the 31-day devotional, “Cross-Fire: Igniting Passionate, Purposeful, and Powerful Relationships” and the founders of the faith-based newspaper, The Royal Trumpet. W.A.R. is an acronym for “We Are Royalty,” TM the official slogan of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC. Visit the website at www.RoyaltyRelationshipCoaching.com.

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