Peggy Locke
Happy Father’s Day! God bless all fathers. I am thankful for my own father, he worked hard, loved my mother, played golf well, taught me to drive a car, and helped me to say the Lord’s prayer. There are a lot of good memories, but some are painful.
I called my dad after I opened my heart to Jesus in 1970 and told him that I forgave him for ill feelings in my heart. I asked him to forgive me for not being the most obedient daughter. It was a new beginning for our father-daughter relationship.
I loved him and I know he loved me. He received Jesus into his heart a short time later. I’m also thankful for my husband who has been a great father to our four sons.
We are proud for the men our sons have become as they’ve tried to follow in the example lived out by their father. Three of our sons became fathers. Two of our grandsons are now fathers as well. It’s no easy task being a father.
Home sweet home. I’ve read that mothers are the heartstrings, the heartbeat of the home – we can set the tone and mood of our homes with flowers, candles and music; whereas fathers are the head of the home, and they are the “fixers and hardware” of the home.
They take care of the drip line repair, splitting wood, planting a tree, or fixing the internet to make it go faster. Fathers and mothers working together have the joy to make their homes safe, restful, peaceful and a comfort for all who come through the door.
Home, a place where even if things might get messy or displaced, there is still organization and order, and meals around the table when schedules allow.
Perhaps things may not have turned out the way we hoped. Family fractures, divorce, illness, death, financial troubles… so many things can go wrong in life. We lost our second son to cancer on Father’s Day in June 1990.
It can be a difficult time to celebrate when so many memories rush to mind. Or what of the prodigal who has left home, and you haven’t seen for years? The Bible tells us there is nothing too hard for God who comforts us when we grieve and knows about the wayward child we hope one day will return.
No hardened heart, no dulled mind is beyond his reach. This Father’s Day, pause, be still, and pray. Keep doing the things you know that are right and good. Be thankful to God for family. We are an influencer to our children.
They are watching and learning from our actions whether you want them to or not. Our words can build up or tear down. What we say and how we say it matters.
Begin to rebuild and repair what may be broken and learn to nurture trust and faithfulness by asking God our heavenly father for help. It’s never too late.
A blessing for fathers today: Father, in Jesus’ name, we pray your blessing over all fathers. May they love their wives, their sons and daughters, as Christ loves the church. May they lift up, encourage and affirm their families so they will discover their value and worth in relationship with you.
May they be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. May they lead their families in a way that would cover, protect and establish who they are in Christ – so there is no doubt in their thinking that they have purpose, hope and a future.
May they take to heart those things you have called them to do – to love, teach, train, correct, discipline and inspire their children in a godly way that would bring glory to you.
In Jesus name we pray. A-men.
Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17
Rev. Peggy Locke is assisting minister at Reno Hillside Foursquare Church, specialized chaplain.