Father: Hero, Leader, Friend, Teacher

Yesterday I got the rare opportunity to enjoy Father’s Day with my two sons and three grandchildren. As I thought about how fortunate I am, I couldn't help but think about how it isn't a happy day for so many. For every person who loves their father, and has a healthy relationship, there is another person struggling with the scars of their childhood, and a broken relationship with their Dad. "Daddy issues' have become epidemic in our society, and something I see a lot as a Pastor. I lost my father in an auto accident when I was sixteen and I have long wished to have had a closer relationship with him before he died.

It is sad to come across men and women who when they think of their fathers can only remember that they could never meet their expectations.   I know of friends, successful businessmen, and church leaders who to this day are still trying to please their unpleaseable father.. Or maybe you think of your father as passive,or detached or uninterested. Perhaps your father loved you, but spoiled you by never saying no, or maybe your father was stern and a harsh disciplinarian who you feared.  Whatever image comes to mind when you think about your father, there is a good chance that you attribute similar characteristics to your Heavenly Father.  

I have long believed that as fathers we have a unique opportunity to represent to our children and grandchildren what God is like. So many of us have drawn a picture of a 'dad' in our minds, and that image has been transferred to how we see God, our Heavenly Father.  It is very important you know that God is not a bigger version of your earthly father God is so much greater than any earthy father can be but at the same time I know how important it is for me to model for my offspring God-like characteristics like wise counselor,trusted friend, patient teacher, generous provider, loving and forgiving disciplinarian.  Why is this important? Because how our kids, and for that matter how we see God determines how we relate to God, and how we relate to God, determines everything about us.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

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