This is Father’s Day weekend – a time that many will praise their earthly fathers, others will be grieving their loss, and some will be unable to find the right Father’s Day card. My thoughts and prayers go with those who grieve over not having their beloved father and those who never had a loving father. My personal story falls in the latter group; I had quite a lot of trouble trying to find a card to say “Happy Father’s Day” without saying how “You were always there for me”, or how ”You taught me so much”. You see my father was not a fan of showing love or saying “I love you”, and he walked out on my family when I was 13 years old. My mother became a single parent and spent the rest of her parenting life trying to keep my older sister, younger brother and I on the right path. My father moved out of town for work and we saw him about once a year; in later years we did reestablish a relationship and made some good memories before he passed away two years ago. Beforehand he had written his children and grandchildren a letter, sharing his advice in how to be a good person and get along in this world. Although his words were full of good truths, as I read them it was difficult because he had not modeled his advice for his own family. On the other hand, there is someone in my life who has been a good role model as a father, and that is my husband; he has the most integrity and consistency of any man I know. My children are blessed to call him Father and I am blessed to have over 40 years with him as my husband. He has been the rock in our family for our four children.
We aren’t a perfect family but we have tried to live with our focus on following the will of our heavenly Father. He alone is perfect and He has the best plan for our lives. We can trust God no matter what our circumstances are because His character is never changing, always caring, always loves, protects and forgives. The song, “Good, Good Father” is about God’s character, “You are perfect in all of Your ways, it’s who You are, who You are.” Being able to trust in His character allows us to have a sweet and peaceful rest. No matter what we do or think, He continues to give His full love to each of us.
These truths are important to pass on to our children and the children we have the privilege and responsibility to work with. Remind them often of His love for them and that although we can’t always figure out how the messes in our lives will contribute positively to our journey, we can know that “when I can’t trust Your hand, I can trust Your heart”, as another song says. Our students can rely on our heavenly Father even if their earthly father is absent in their lives. They may need to process many negative feelings about their own father, and our role is to help them when needed. We can always point them to God’s character and the truth that He will never forsake them. Acknowledge their grief, and their struggles, yet encourage them with scriptures and your experience in putting your trust in the Father that does not abandon, is always ready to listen, and consistently has their back. II Corinthians 12:9 says: “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We can also use many scriptures in the Psalms to encourage children of all ages, such as Psalm 91: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Blessings,
Jeri
We aren’t a perfect family but we have tried to live with our focus on following the will of our heavenly Father. He alone is perfect and He has the best plan for our lives. We can trust God no matter what our circumstances are because His character is never changing, always caring, always loves, protects and forgives. The song, “Good, Good Father” is about God’s character, “You are perfect in all of Your ways, it’s who You are, who You are.” Being able to trust in His character allows us to have a sweet and peaceful rest. No matter what we do or think, He continues to give His full love to each of us.
These truths are important to pass on to our children and the children we have the privilege and responsibility to work with. Remind them often of His love for them and that although we can’t always figure out how the messes in our lives will contribute positively to our journey, we can know that “when I can’t trust Your hand, I can trust Your heart”, as another song says. Our students can rely on our heavenly Father even if their earthly father is absent in their lives. They may need to process many negative feelings about their own father, and our role is to help them when needed. We can always point them to God’s character and the truth that He will never forsake them. Acknowledge their grief, and their struggles, yet encourage them with scriptures and your experience in putting your trust in the Father that does not abandon, is always ready to listen, and consistently has their back. II Corinthians 12:9 says: “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We can also use many scriptures in the Psalms to encourage children of all ages, such as Psalm 91: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Blessings,
Jeri
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