Good, Good Father

Yesterday started as a typical Sunday morning. I got up, ate breakfast and headed to church to teach Sunday School. I went to the church service and came home to eat lunch. It was a great morning, but there was one thing missing: my dad.

My dad was making the trek home from Grand Island, NE after taking Molly to Charolais Junior Nationals so I didn’t get to see him until he got home. It felt weird not being with him the whole day because on most Father’s Days, we spend it together either at the Ryssby Midsummer Picnic, playing golf, going to a cattle show or grilling steaks. As I saw the posts on social media of people giving "shout outs" to their dads, I missed mine which made me think of those who don’t have a dad and don’t get to spend any of their days with them –including Father’s Day.

This isn’t supposed to be sad, but a wake-up call to remind us to always show appreciation towards our parents, to love them and to honor them.

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12

When we honor our parents, we are being led into the light of God. I know if I follow the steps of my own dad, I will live a life full of meaning. I know if I pray like my dad, be compassionate like my dad, lead like my dad, be full of forgiveness and grace like my dad, and put the Lord first like my dad, God will call upon me to serve Him and others. And this is exactly what I want. I see what my dad does for others and doesn’t receive the glory for it as he always gives it to God. He has created that legacy that I want to continue into my marriage, home and family to come.

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

The qualities my dad possesses are endless but the one that I admire most is his love for the Lord. Just as we are called to honor our father and mother, we must do the same but go above and beyond for our Heavenly Father.

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27

Just as sometimes we take our dads for granted, we do the same with God. We know He will always be there so we don’t take the time to show our appreciation and love to Him. If we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our strength, heart, soul and mind, what is holding us back? Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can ever fathom and with Him, we are never alone. He is truly perfect in all of His ways and He asks us to honor Him.

This week, let’s not take our dads or anyone in our family for granted. Show them how much you love them and appreciate them. I am blessed I got to see Cars 3 with my dad yesterday and help him put the calves away. Let’s honor our dads, follow in their footsteps and model their behavior. Most importantly, let’s honor our Heavenly Father and send Him praises. Let’s be completely dependent on Him and create that positive legacy for other generations that never ceases praying. He is a good, good Father and if we continuously seek Him, we can become more like Jesus, ready to serve others and change lives for the better.

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after Him.” Proverbs 20:7