A Mother on Father's Day

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us...

I John 3:1

Father's Day is kinda fun for moms.  We're off the hook as a topic for the sermon, while our husbands get to be in the hot seat (as we were for Mother's Day) and we get to apply our elbow to our spouse's ribs at appropriate times to make sure that they are listening to the pastor on certain points that we've mentioned (okay, maybe nagged a little about) for most of the year. But for the most part, we just take a back seat and try to make sure that our hubbies have a special day.

However, as women, Father's Day is really more of a big deal than we may realize.  After all, this day also reminds us of our own fathers and the impact (for good or evil) that they had on our lives.  In fact, many psychologists believe that there is no greater influence on a young girl's emotional development than the father.  Studies show that the daughters of absent or indifferent fathers frequently turn out to be promiscuous, seeking attention outside the home that they never received from their dads.

Having grown up watching ideal fathers on shows like "Father Knows Best," "Leave It To Beaver," and "Little House on the Prairie," many of us realized pretty quickly that our own dads fell short of the mark. Real life can't compete with fiction, where dads never seem to have bad days or short tempers.  Fathers, being human, make mistakes- some bigger than others.  Most of us have, at one time or another, felt rejected, unloved, or hurt by our fathers. 

But Father's Day shouldn't be a time when we wallow in self pity because our childhood was less than perfect.  Instead, it should be a celebration! Because no matter what our earthly father was like, as Christians we have a perfect heavenly Father.  Not only does God love us just the way we are, but He created us just as we are and (like everything in His creation) He saw that it was good. So no matter how unloved and lonely we may sometimes feel, we can be assured that our Father loves us with an everlasting love and He will never, ever leave us.

Father's Day never fails to remind me that my heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave His only Son for me. So despite the fact that Mother's Day is supposed to be my own special day, I have to admit that Father's Day is pretty awesome, too.