Remember the Fathers

It’s Father’s Day. For many dads who have teens or young adults in crisis, this is a day they wish would be quickly over. It is a reminder of the pain, the heartache that they have endured with their child. The disappointments, the stress, the sadness, the devastation, and especially the failure that they feel because their daughters or sons are living a life of destruction.

Yes, Father’s Day is very difficult. Today, I think of the father in Charleston who had to call the police on his son who took the lives of nine people praying in a church. I can only imagine the gut wrenching agony he is feeling this day.
I am neither a man nor a father, but I have often seen the sadness and self-blame my husband has carried when our children made some very bad choices in their life. The failure he felt and the regrets he burdened himself with is something no father wants to carry.

However, our Heavenly Father does understand. We are all His children and we make bad choices as well which grieves His heart. The good news is that we have a God who is merciful, compassionate, loving, and forgiving towards us. He is also a God that sees a father’s hurting heart over his prodigal children. The Heavenly Father wants to heal and comfort him; not just his pain, but the brokenness in his children too.

Let us this day, think of those fathers who continue to struggle with their teens and young adults in crisis. They need prayer, guidance, and wisdom in parenting their children.

If you are a father reading this post, I pray that God encourages you and uplifts you. I ask God to give you strength in times of weakness, give you hope when you feel despair, and remind you that you are not alone in your journey of fatherhood.

May God minister to your heart this day and be renewed with joy that the Lord knows your heart and hears your prayers.

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