A Father’s Impact~

     I hope that you had a wonderful Father’s Day as a daughter cherishing your father and/or grandfather. And, once again, with the holiday having just passed, I find writing on the subject timely. This may sound familiar but take time to read this and be encouraged and reminded of the importance and impact parents make in our lives.

      A father is not just a caregiver or provider, but one who is a Christian is called to also be an example of Christ in the way he selflessly loves and protects those under him. As such, they can be our heroes, biggest supporters, protectors, and spiritual leaders. We can learn so much from observing our father, the way he spoke to the family, the habits he cultivated, and the way he lived will not be long forgotten. Fathers can model good and godly qualities we desire in our (future) husband. His hard work ethic, his discipline, his selflessness may be things we see day in and day out and then pray for in our (future) spouse or even son.

     In celebrating fathers, we should not forget our spiritual fathers, uncles, and grandfathers; those who have loved, supported, prayed, and poured wisdom and truth into our lives. Spiritual fathers illustrate God’s fatherly love for us; they may not be our actual father, but they should be honored and appreciated, too.

     Now, having said that, we must remember that even the best father/ spiritual father has his shortcomings and failures which we can take lessons from. In fact, a father’s faults may motivate our prayers, especially if abandonment, neglect, or abuse is something we’ve lived. Those that may be feeling sadness, a void, loss, or are even harboring bitterness, I did not write this without thinking of and praying over you. Sunday may have had its challenges or bittersweet moments, but in that it emphasizes the point that we should never underestimate the life-long impact a father makes on his child(ren), good or bad. Thankfully, we have a heavenly Father, our true Father, who has and will continue to sympathize with your pain, hurt, and sadness; He loves you immensely!

God bless you! <3

Tera