That
Day in June
By Lisa Boyer
“See what
great love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of
God….”
1 John 3:1a (NIV)
There’s this holiday in June that
excites some people more than others…Father’s Day. We all have different views
of Father’s Day and our view usually has something to do with, well, our
fathers. But not all fathers deserve a Hallmark Card on Father’s Day.
For me, Father’s Day itself isn’t
all that bad, but the days leading up to it can be just awful. The TV and radio
ads tend to be more than I can bear. I know there are fathers that are as
wonderful as those ads make fathers out to be (I’ve had the privilege to meet
some of them), but unfortunately, they sometimes seem to be more the exception
than the norm. So by midweek before Father’s Day, after I’ve heard ad after ad
proclaiming how wonderful and deserving fathers are, I am ready to scream, “Not
everyone has THAT kind of father!!!”
But this year, I have a plan to keep
myself out of anger management classes…and it’s a reminder we all need, whether
we grew up with a Hallmark Card father or not.
I am going to honor my Father this
year. Yes, that’s right, my Father…my heavenly Father. I don’t deserve a Father
like Him, but He adopted me anyway. Before I even knew that I needed Him, He
made a way for our relationship through Jesus’ death on the cross. “See what
great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of
God….”
I love how this describes our
relationship to Him:
“…the place of sonship…an
unspeakable privilege, obtained by grace, through regeneration, and adoption.
In this relation of nearness and privilege to the Father in the kingdom of His
Son, believers are ‘sons of God’…. It is a relation, not of nature, but of
grace.” [1]
Perhaps my Father’s Day anger
management issue indicates that the little girl inside of me has never outgrown
her desire to have a father who loves and cares for her. But God is and has
been that kind of father to me and this year I will honor Him! He is enough…He
is more than enough and more than I could have hoped for.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
If you don’t have God as your heavenly Father, will you begin that
relationship today through Jesus?
2.
Today would be a wonderful day to express your appreciation to your
heavenly Father for what He’s done for you.
FURTHER READING:
Lisa has been married to Ted for 24
years and they have two sons in college. Lisa serves in Quest 56 on Sunday
mornings at Oakwood.
[1] “God the Father” by James Orr http://topicalbible.org/f/father.htm
