Father’s Day

Dads are tricky. They hold a whole lot of power and most of them don’t even realize it. Some of them do realize it. I’m not sure which is worse.

But see, when Paul commanded us to “honor our fathers (and mothers)” that was not a conditional statement. Love your fathers as long as they love you. As long as they value you and notice you and respect you. Nope, nothing conditional about his command.

So how then can we honor mothers or fathers who have failed us?

That’s exactly where the beauty lies.

It’s easy to honor someone who has never wronged you. But the moment you honor someone who has hurt you is when ugly and broken become beautiful and renewed.

In some twisted way, we should actually be giving thanks for our parents when they fail us because that means they are human. And I would rather have imperfect human parents than perfect robot ones.

So, Father’s Day: a day to honor the father.

To the man who taught me how to dig the knife deep into the peanut butter jar and smear it on the banana, still in peel.

Who showed me that grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are better than not grilled. And sitting on the kitchen floor eating a bowl of cereal late at night is truly the best way to eat it.

Who taught me how to throw and catch a baseball and how to send it flying over the fence with a perfect swing.

Who took me out on the day after Christmas to learn to drive stick-shift because “If you can drive in today’s traffic you can drive any day.” And taught me to parallel park on a hill because “If you can parallel park on a hill in a stick-shift, you can parallel park anywhere.” And taught me to ride with the windows down when Mom wasn't in the car because she doesn't like her hair blown around.

Who filled my ears with music of all kinds and gave me an enormous understanding and appreciation for it.

To the man who held me to a high standard because he saw potential in me. Who taught me to always strive for better, to set goals and attain them through hard work and discipline.

When I think of our relationship many words come to mind. But one that stands out from the rest is grace. Grace from the Lord.  Grace from me to you and from you to me. You and I would amount to a whole bunch of nothing if it wasn’t for grace.

So, I’m thankful for the present grace and the presence you have in my life. Thank you for fighting for your family and for striving to be better and not perfect.

 Happy Father’s Day, Dad.