Father's Day is an interesting celebration for me. As a pastor, it takes on one sort of significance. Personally, it takes on a whole different sort of significance.
The pastoral side of me absolutely loves this holiday. God's Word has some great principles for fathers. It calls upon fathers to lovingly teach and lead their children in the things of God (Deut. 6). It models for them how to impart wisdom and what specifically to share with them (the whole book of Proverbs). It encourages otherwise harsh and removed fathers to be gracious (Ephesians 6:4). And when we consider the entirety of Scripture, the God that is progressively revealed as perfectly loving, just, holy, powerful, and good is regarded as our Father (Psalm 68:5, John 14:1-10, Romans 8:15, 1 Peter 1:17-21, et al).
The personal side of me has conflicted thoughts because of my own father. He died when I was 11. So on Father's Day, I have no one to take out to hug, take out to dinner, and share my appreciation. My father also had his own complicated struggles that affected our family even before he passed. He was imperfect like all human fathers of course, but I was just old enough to begin to understand that his flaws were more than run-of-the-mill. Yet I also knew he loved me very much and he loved the Lord despite his struggles.
So on a day like today, I'm excited and reserved all at the same time. I passionately want to call sons of God to become the mighty fathers God desires them to be. And yet I empathize with those who had negative experiences with their earthly fathers and those who had no experience at all.
I've come to the conclusion that it's ok to view Father's Day with these mixed emotions. It's the reality of the human experience that God is redeeming.
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