“In that moment, I knew that you were the same Daddy that I always knew and loved . . . . and I had missed you so much!”
The words tumbled out through tears of joy, laughter, and hugs as they were reunited after years of distance. Yes, he is a “Forever Daddy,” no matter what. Many people find themselves in situations where relationships have been strained or even broken as a result of misunderstandings, busyness, or simply because of geographical distance. Unfortunately, in some situations, we wait until it is too late to restore and mend those relationships with the important people in our lives.
Recently I heard about a book entitled, One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life, by Kerry and Chris Shook. This sounds like just what we all need once in a while! We get so busy and caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities and obligations that we rarely slow down long enough to think seriously about what it would really mean if we only had one month to live.
What would I do? What would you do? Would it make a difference? As we approach Father’s Day this year, I encourage you to search your heart and think about how you could restore or enhance relationships in your own life. Who needs to hear your voice? Who needs to know that they are loved?
Some of us no longer have our Daddy around to visit with on Father’s Day, or any other day, for that matter. And then there are others of us who never really had the Daddy that we needed in our lives. A few of us are fortunate in that we have a close, loving relationship with our Daddy, even though we are all grown-up.
Inevitably, parents make mistakes. Our parents failed us in some ways, and we will fail our children in some ways, even though we seek to do our very best to honor God with our lives and give our children all of our love. But parents are not perfect! Moms and Dads everywhere sacrifice for their children; they work hard to provide for their families, and they do their very best, often in extremely difficult situations.
If you are missing your Daddy today, I encourage you to pick up the phone, write a letter or even an email (how about Facebook???) and take that first step toward reconciliation. Sometimes it is scary; sometimes it doesn’t work out the way we want it to. But in the end, isn’t it worth the effort?
Perhaps there has just been a misunderstanding, or time has gotten away from you . . . . don’t let that stop you from reaching out to begin mending a broken heart. Have a blessed Father’s Day and celebrate the love and relationships that God has brought into your life!
You are so right - all of our parents have or will fail us at some point, as we have all, as parents, failed our children at some time.
But Our Heavenly Father, never has and never will fail any of us. Isn't that a wonderful fact? :)
Blessings to you - Marsha
Posted by: Marsha Young | June 19, 2011 at 08:34 PM
xo
Posted by: katherine | June 20, 2011 at 11:21 AM