An open letter to Father’s Day dads
18 Sunday Jun 2017
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Beyond the Cosmos, Christianity, Conservatism, Everlasting, Experience, Family, Father's Day, Fatherhood, Fellowship of the Minds, Genealogy, God, God's Love, Jesus Christ, Lessons, Liberty, Life, Posterity, Sage, Teaching, United States, Wisdom
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Me, Dad, Diane, Aberystwyth, c. 1953 which means I was almost 10 and she 8
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. ~ Exodus 20:12
The Fifth of the Ten Commandments, and the first with a Godly promise, as in “that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
So, what does it take to become a father? Well, to be vulgar about it, not much really. And to be even more blunt, just a few minutes of lustful, selfish, thoughtless carelessness and voilà – A Child Is Born, so to speak.
Congratulations – you’re a father, a dad. No big accomplishment really, since any guy can father a child if he has a compliant female companion at hand.
Seems to be that the bar for fathering children in these millennial decades appears to be very low; so low, in fact, that lots of guys bail over it without a second thought. And then THEY bail.
With Andrew, 4 years old. Toronto Showroom, Royal Worcester – 1976
If there’s one thing the 21st century has tried to teach us, it’s that dads are dispensable, yet nobody gives any thought to the kids who stare down the road wondering when dad is coming back.
Ever been to an orphanage? The folks in there don’t think dad doesn’t matter.
There is a unique space in the heart of every kid that only the love of a father can fill.
Many single moms have done well but you’ll never meet one who will tell you their child didn’t need a father. Or a dad, if you prefer.
Andrew Kyle & Bryce Flower Mound 1993
And that’s why Father’s Day is so much more than a card with a joke inside. It’s not about the guy who brought someone into the world. Biology after all doesn’t make a father, nor a dad.
The real father (dad) is the man who quietly steps up and lays down his life day after day, doing all those unseen things that say, I’m there for you; I love you; your needs come before mine; you are an important, valuable person; you are special.
Yes dads, YOU MATTER! And just who thought you were the man for the job of being “Daddy?” God did.
How many times do we often think, “I’m so blessed to have these kids?” and that’s true, but something else is true as well. Your kids are blessed to have YOU as their dad. God chose you not only to be a father, but to be the father of the children he had in mind for you. And that dear dads, is very special.
October 13th 2012 wedding
From God’s perspective, you are His blessing to your children.
God wants your children to know about Him and He picked you out of all the dads on earth to make it happen.
In Deuteronomy Chapter 6 the entire content describes what a loving Heavenly Father we have, and how important God thinks you are to your family and children.
So the next time you see an advertisement with a mocking reference to the buffoon dad, the next time the devil comes along to tempt you to think you’re not that important, that you’re not getting anywhere; the next time you wonder if what you’re doing matters over the long haul, just remember – God doesn’t make mistakes.
70th Birthday Macaroni Grill ..
He chose you, Dad.
He chose you for His purposes and His plan. That’s one of the great comforts we Dads can take in knowing God. He always has a plan. It may not be apparent in those everyday moments that often seem unimportant, but faithful fatherhood is a marathon, not a sprint.
Always there whenever needed
You matter, Dad.
You matter because God chose you and you’re there, day after day, faithfully doing all those things that add up to being a loving dad. And that’s becoming an increasingly rare gift to kids these days. Your quiet faithfulness however, does not go unnoticed by your Heavenly Father.
If the only thing you do each and every day is to lift your children up in prayer, the promise of Jesus Christ is sealed in eternity when he declares:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ~ Matthew 6:20-21
To all the Dads out there: Happy Father’s Day!! .. 😉 ♥
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They’re Coming To Take Me Away ..
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h/t Matthew L. Jacobson: timewarpwife.com/
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Soli Deo Gloria!
Link To DennisGHurst.com
One Comment
06/22/2017 at 9:55 AM
Never disappointed when I read your blog. This article is articulate! My Dad became an orphan at eight months old after a house fire took the lives of his mother and two year old brother in December 1930 caused by a coal oil explosion. When my grandfather learned the tragic news, he walked away. My Grandmother and Uncle are buried in one grave and share a casket and headstone. My Dad was laid to rest near them after his death in 1988. Although my Dad was an orphan and never experienced having parents, he was a very good father. I contribute that to his faith in God and knowledge of the Scriptures. But I’m also aware that he CHOSE to be close and protective of his children and he CHOSE to be more than what society considered a “hands-on Dad.”
In reading this blog today, I couldn’t help but to think of my Dad and the great sacrifices he made for his children. His fatherly wisdom came from God’s word, not from anywhere else. How bless I am!
Thank you for this well-written, well-worded article. It deeply touched my inner-child…who was and is a Daddy’s girl and a daughter of The Utmost High!