FATHERS

Today on Facebook I see numerous comments about absent fathers.  It's been 15 years since I was last able to talk to mine, and I hear many missing that key figure in their lives as we celebrate Fathers' Day.  My heart is sad, and I am further saddened by the sense of loss that comes through what others have written.

It seems as if this is the ache of all mankind right now.  For a Father.
The deep need for affirmation and love from a father is something that God the ultimate Father has put inside each of us to constantly call us back to Himself.  It cannot be avoided, and even the very best father in this world will never fill that gap.

I work with mothers and children who are having to do life alone.  Maybe father was dysfunctional, maybe he never committed to being with them, maybe he terrified them with his outbursts of violence and rage.  Maybe his heart was screaming for the father he never knew as well?

The greatest comfort in life is to know that we have a heavenly Father who is constant.  He will never leave us or let us down.  He is not full of human frailty and imperfections.  He IS Love itself and will be all we can ever need if we allow him to be.

Maybe this is one of the greatest days of the year. The day when the human ache for a father is highlighted in order that THE FATHER has a chance to walk in, fill the gap, heal the wounds, and line us up with His loving purpose for our lives.  I pray that today many will come to know that they are not alone, that they are loved, that there is a constant and secure love available to them.