Next Sunday is Father’s Day. Father’s Day is a special day to honor dads. It celebrates fatherhood, the connections between fathers and their kids, and the important role fathers play in our society.
Still, not everyone looks back on their dads with warm feelings. If God gave us fathers to help us grasp the idea of Him as our heavenly Father, then some dads really missed the mark. On this up coming Father’s Day, might I suggest a focus not only on our physical fathers, but on our spiritual Father. What if we were to remember our Father God in a special way on this Father’s Day? What might we want to remember?
First, we ought to remember that there’s a heavenly Father watching over us. Even if our biological father is no longer with us or never played a significant role in our life, our heavenly Father is always there. This is because we ultimately have the almighty, ever-present God as our creator. When we make the choice to become a new creation, we then accept God as our heavenly Father. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” As a Christian, we should remember that we have a heavenly Father who is there for us on Father’s Day.
Next, let’s not forget that our heavenly Father provides for us. It’s simple to lose sight of the fact that the blessings we enjoy in life come from God. He showers blessings on everyone, regardless of whether they’re good or bad, even if it sometimes feels like it’s done at random. Our heavenly Father is inherently a God who blesses. In Genesis 22:14, God is first recognized as Jehovah Jireh by Abraham, “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide (Jehovah Jireh); as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” If we honestly look around us, we can easily see that God blesses His creation. Even greater blessings come to those who are children of the heavenly Father. God provides for eternity, God saves, and God sustains. That would be worth remembering on Father’s Day.
Third, we should remember that our heavenly Father loves us. The familiar, yet very true John 3:16 proclaims: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I would like to think that there are those who were blessed to have known the unwavering affection of a father that modeled God’s love. Prayerfully you’ve experience such love when you did bad things or things that upset your dad, yet your dad still showed you love. Such love reflects the highest level of love – the love of God. This kind of love is based on the one loving, not on the one being love. Some are very fortunate to have known this love from their dad. However, the highest form of this love is found in the God of heaven. As powerful as this kind of love is, it doesn’t mean we won’t be corrected or face punishment. Even our heavenly Father disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:7). In fact, discipline is a mark of love. Remembering our heavenly Father’s love is worth remembering on Father’s Day.
It’s not easy to be a father. These days, fatherhood doesn’t get the respect it deserves, and the way some dads live their lives hasn’t exactly helped the reputation of fathers. Thankfully, it’s God who truly defines what it means to be a father.
As we think about our fathers this upcoming Father’s Day, I hope for you two things. I hope you have an earthly father who is as much like our heavenly Father as possible. I also hope you know your heavenly Father not only by creation, but because He is your Father through faith and baptism in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27).
