Today is Father’s Day and as the pastor spoke this morning from Proverbs about the importance of honoring thy father and mother so that we could live long lives, I, too, remembered my own dad. As a teenager, I definitely had difficulties honoring my father in the way that the Bible instructed. There were many times that I was disappointed and had my feelings hurt by my father, and I even had difficulty honoring, respecting, and forgiving him for his lifestyle.
You see, my dad was an alcoholic, although he would never admit to or seek much-needed help for that condition. But throughout the years of painful hurts and striving to forgive my dad, I learned to forgive and understand him with God’s help. I also realized that it was not my fault that he drank and that my dad had to accept responsibility for his own actions. He was accountable; not anyone else. He finally admitted this towards the end of his life and asked God’s forgiveness.
God, our Father, is full of compassion and there is no doubt in my mind that we have to go through difficulties in our lives in order for us to become stronger individuals. I thank God that I had a chance to work through all the problems with my dad because it helped me become more compassionate and more supportive towards others in their needs.
Today (and every day), as we celebrate all of the men in our lives–spouses/fathers/grandfathers/uncles–let us honor and respect them and praise God for the positive influences and role models they have been or currently are in our lives.
Blessings on you,
Yvonne