A Faithful Father

“Fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.”           —Isaiah 38:19b

As we draw near to Father’s Day, a few specific memories of my father stick in my mind’s eye. With a lifetime of experiences, three memories stand out: a fish story, high school football games, and my dad, the peacemaker.

I doubt if Dad took us fishing very often, but I remember long fishing days at Mahoning Lake in Armstrong County near Dayton. One particular time while we were doing our usual sucker and catfish fishing with worms, night crawlers, black braided line, and heavy sinkers, my dad caught the most marvelous different looking game fish we had ever seen, a walleye. My brothers and I had never before even heard of walleye let alone seen one. To this day, there resides in me a special desire and appreciation for walleye fishing.

My dad had a bad knee from his own football playing days and became overweight later in life so he didn’t really coach or play with us. But, as I played junior high and high school football, my dad was an ever-present fixture. Although he didn’t drive me to and from practices, (I often hitch-hiked home after practice) Dad had a permanent season ticket spot at the corner cone of the end zone or right beside the goalposts. He never missed a game.

Growing up in my very early years, my dad was the ultimate macho man to me. He was big, strong, deep-voiced, and a little scary at times. After my mother died and Dad remarried, we became a Brady bunch family before it became TV sitcom. My dad then became the peacemaker, trying everything in his power to make everyone get along. I remember him pleading for my sister to open her bedroom door after she slammed and locked it during a crying, drama-laden meltdown. I remember my dad’s sad eyes when I threatened to move to Grandma’s after feeling unjustly accused of some family shaming action. But, in the end, we all grew together, stuck together and are now raising children and grandchildren of our own.

Although my dad was not the spiritual giant I want to be and would want Christian men today to be, he definitely taught me by example the love and faithfulness of God, our Heavenly Father. When Jesus came to earth, one of His greatest messages was that God loves us and we can approach God as our Heavenly Father, even calling Him, Daddy. I never saw my father pray, but he faithfully saw to it that I was in church and was always there for me at every event and circumstance.

I know many folks today struggle trusting God as Father because their dads were not there. Some earthly dads have been abusive, absent, and embarrassing. God is a faithful God who loves us more than any earthly love. God, as our Heavenly Father, gives us an example how earthly parents are supposed to be. All the passages on love, faithfulness, and care describe God’s character as Father. If you have been neglected, abused, or abandoned by your earthly father, I am so sorry for you and pray that God will reveal Himself to you as a Father who loves, cares, and never abandons.

Men, fathers, if you are still breathing and your children are still alive, it is never too late to become the person and father God intends you to be. Call upon the Lord, ask God to forgive you of your failures, and pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you to show God’s care and faithfulness to your children.