Happy Father's Day (a wee bit early)

I just wanted to wish you-all a Happy Father’s Day.

I gave you dads a Happy Father’s Day greeting here at the BB a couple of years ago and I wanted to repeat it, but I can’t find it. Oh, well, I will just start over.

Father's Day means a lot to me because of how I feel about my own father. I don't know any other way to say it but like this.

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Just let me ramble a bit. Here’s some history of Father’s Day that you might not know.

I know that tomorrow, many of you are going to receive yet another tie or shirt or pair of underwear or hammer or toolkit or even another soap-on-a-rope! I know that my dad got his share of all of that kind of stuff. Just remember …. Your worth is far above those things. Your family loves you more than can be expressed with trinkets. I know that that’s how I feel about my dad.

I know that Father’s Day is not easy for some of you because you have lost your children. You are still a father. Celebrate it.

I know that Father's Day is not easy for some of you because your children are not with you due to custody issues. You are still a father. Rejoice.

I know that Father’s Day is not easy because some of you didn’t have good fathers yourself. You had no role model to learn from. Celebrate it anyway and exalt your heavenly Father.

We, your children, grandchildren, foster children, adopted children, wards, step-children, and even those of us that you’ve raised that aren’t yours biologically or legally …. Well ….we want to say, “Thank You!”

Thank you for giving us life.

Thank you for loving us unconditionally.

Thank you for the times you had a tea party with your daughters and taught your sons how to shave.

Thank you for helping us with our homework, scrutinizing the boys who were our prom dates, explaining why girls are so strange, and teaching us how to change the oil in the car.

Thank you for coming to our games and dance recitals and cheering us on as if we were the best in the world.

Thank you even for the times that you embarrassed us in front of our friends. We may not have considered you "cool", but our friends did.

Thank you for praying for us.

Thank you for the times that you stood as a mountain of self-control and leadership in times of crisis. And even for the times that you’ve cried and expressed uncertainty – we thank you for being brave enough to do that.

Thank you for the sweat of your brow, the beat of your heart, and depth of your laughter.

Thank you for pretending that the soap-on-a-rope and the homemade card was exactly what you wanted.

Thank you for your discipline. Thank for not allowing us to stray.

Thank you for being who you are – and no one else.

We love you.

Happy Father’s Day.

 

I'm sorry.

That's why I mentioned that I knew that Father's Day was hard for some.

I don't know any of your circumstances, and I don't need to know. But I do know that God is a God of restoration.

Joel 2:25-26

"...And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And you will eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the LORD your God that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people will never be ashamed."

It's quite literally, never too late.