Happy Father's Day 2013

God’s Word has lots of texts, teachings and instructions on how to be a father, such as this one from Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Then is this chapter, Proverbs 23:24, "The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him." And, the New Testament adds this in Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

The suggestion for children to venerate their fathers originated in Spokane, Washington. There was this woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, that came up with the idea for Father’s Day while attending a Mother’s Day church service in 1909. Her mother had died, and Sonora was raised by her father. So, she wanted her father to understand how important he was to her. Her father had made many sacrifices for her and in the eyes of his daughter he was a brave, noble, and devoted man. The idea caught on and so in Spokane, in 1910, on the 19th of June, Father’s Day was initiated. Sonora’s father had been born in June, so she chose the month of his birth to kick off this special day or remembrance. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge pronounced the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. 

They report that the greatest number of long distance phone calls are made on Mother’s Day; and the largest number of collect calls are made on Father’s Day!

“Girls are complicated. The instruction manual that comes with girls is 800 pages, with chapters 14, 19, 26 and 32 missing, and it's badly translated, hard to figure out.” Hugh Laurie

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Mark Twain

Whatever you do today, collect or direct, call your dad. You don’t have to say much, but let him know that you are glad that God gave you to him. Thank him for all that he did for you. Let him know that you do appreciate all of his lessons, sacrifices and patience. We might think He does, but God doesn’t make mistakes, yet some fathers do, nevertheless, forgive him his shortcomings. And, try to understand things from his view-point.

If your dad has passed on, call your mom, sisters and brothers, talk about your dad. Whether he was a respectable man or not, use the time you speak to family members, to try to say something good about him. And, if you can’t, thank God that you have your mom, sisters and brothers to share the day with.

It’s hard to be a father and even harder to be a good one and almost impossible to be one like Sonora Smart Dobb had. If you are a dad, reading this, there is still time to change for the better. First, put yourself, then your family, and friends and most certainly your children’s lives in the hands of God. Keep improving and don’t think you’ve ever arrived, keep on getting better all the time. Dads, you are the constructors of your family, build it right. It’s up to you. God will help you. Your wife will love you. And, your children will really enjoy celebrating Father’s Day with their daddy.