you would think that since sunday was my 6th (weird) father's day without dad that it wouldn't be that big of a deal. you would be wrong. it just never gets normal. but thankfully, this one was for sure better than most. on the first couple of father's days without dad, i don't think i ventured far from my bed -- and i certainly wasn't about to go to church and see all the happy little families sitting together. praise the Lord (seriously) that those painful days are for the most part behind me.
i woke up sunday morning and was immediately bombarded by instagram after instagram, tweet after tweet, facebook update after facebook update of people talking about how great their dads are and posting cute pictures of them together. of course my immediate, initial response was envy and anger -- and i especially hated the ones of girls on their wedding day with their dads, as they only reminded me of my dad's absence at mine.
but throughout the day as i continued to see the slew of posts, my perspective changed a little (seriously only by the grace of God). i read people's posts about their dads -- everyone claiming to have the best, most loving, wonderful, incredible, superman dad ever. then the lightbulb went off: i had one of those dads. i had a dad that would put all other dads to shame. i thought he was superman. i thought he loved my mom and his kids better than any other man had ever loved his wife and children. i was (and still am) so obnoxiously proud to be his daughter.
and you know what? (insert second lightbulb going off.) there are way too many people on this earth that can't say that. WAY TOO MANY. my heart aches for the 147 million orphans in this world -- orphans who are no longer just a stat to me, but have faces and names engraved in my mind forever. but let's be honest, it's not just the orphans in third-world countries who are fatherless. anyone reading this blog can probably name at least a handful of friends/family whose dads just flat out stink. maybe yours stinks. it just makes me sick.
i'm so thankful to have had a dad who was such a beautiful picture of the Heavenly Father. and this father's day more than ever, i'm thankful for a Heavenly Father that loves the earthly orphans and fatherless.
"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." -- Psalm 68.5 (ESV)
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close." -- Psalm 27:10 (NLT)
i woke up sunday morning and was immediately bombarded by instagram after instagram, tweet after tweet, facebook update after facebook update of people talking about how great their dads are and posting cute pictures of them together. of course my immediate, initial response was envy and anger -- and i especially hated the ones of girls on their wedding day with their dads, as they only reminded me of my dad's absence at mine.
but throughout the day as i continued to see the slew of posts, my perspective changed a little (seriously only by the grace of God). i read people's posts about their dads -- everyone claiming to have the best, most loving, wonderful, incredible, superman dad ever. then the lightbulb went off: i had one of those dads. i had a dad that would put all other dads to shame. i thought he was superman. i thought he loved my mom and his kids better than any other man had ever loved his wife and children. i was (and still am) so obnoxiously proud to be his daughter.
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| auburn baseball game, spring 2006 |
and you know what? (insert second lightbulb going off.) there are way too many people on this earth that can't say that. WAY TOO MANY. my heart aches for the 147 million orphans in this world -- orphans who are no longer just a stat to me, but have faces and names engraved in my mind forever. but let's be honest, it's not just the orphans in third-world countries who are fatherless. anyone reading this blog can probably name at least a handful of friends/family whose dads just flat out stink. maybe yours stinks. it just makes me sick.
i'm so thankful to have had a dad who was such a beautiful picture of the Heavenly Father. and this father's day more than ever, i'm thankful for a Heavenly Father that loves the earthly orphans and fatherless.
"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." -- Psalm 68.5 (ESV)
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close." -- Psalm 27:10 (NLT)
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