Father's Day: Written by My Husband

This post is something I've never done before. It is written by my husband as he just recently became a father.

   I was initially supposed to have this written before I was a father.  But things have changed and our son arrived a week early, just in time for me to have my first Father's day.  

   A Father's job is to provide, protect, support, encourage, discipline, push, fix, lead, teach, and love.  I didn't always know this was the case.  The more my faith grew, the more I understood what a father was.  It's one thing to understand, and another to experience.  

   I look at my newborn son and I am overwhelmed with emotion and a weight of responsibility.  I have been made a steward of this spirit transmuted from my and my wife's flesh.  All I want is for my son to be healthy, happy, and to learn to love the Lord.  Can I do this?  Can I be the bad guy when it's justified?  Can I make the hard choices?  Can I do it all?

   Luckily God has provided earthly examples for me.  And ultimately provided Himself as the perfect example.  God was there for me through it all.  He feverishly pursued me with ferocious and unconditional love.  When I pushed Him away, He was never more than an arms length away.  When I disobeyed, He crushed me and built me back up in the same stroke.  

   He was patience through my stubbornness.  He ran to embrace me when I turned back to Him.  He is never afraid to do for me what is needed.  He only ever continues to mold me into who I was born to be.  He truly knows me.

   If I could just scratch the surface of that, it would be enough for my son.  And ultimately  if I can just be enough of a light to steer him to his true Father, then I will have peace.  

   So happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there who try to carry the world for their families.  If they are too stubborn to let God spot them or carry the burden, at least give them the day off to rest their shoulders.  Let them know how much you respect their work ethic. Let them know that you see them.  And stroke their ego just a bit and tell them that they can do it all, but that doesn't mean they should.