I remember the first time I gazed into my daughter's eyes. It was like peering into the night's sky. Seeing the whispers of the Milky Way. Infinite stories lie ahead for both of us. A life yet to unfold. A flower yet to blossom. The enormity of my role as a dad, as a father, became real. It felt like turning the first crisp page of a new book that I had anticipated reading. I am a dad. I AM A DAD. Oh my gosh, I am her dad. Wait a second... who trusted me with this life? Seriously. So not qualified.
And just a few weeks ago I peered into the eyes of my third daughter for the first time. The same deep space mystery is there. The same infinite stories lie ahead. I am a little wiser now. A smidge more qualified.
For me being a dad, a father, is one of the most all-encompassing and challenging aspects of my life. These 3 amazing little ladies depend on me in a way I can barely comprehend. How in the world will I keep up with them? With school work? With puberty? With driving? With boys? How do I do "dad"? I mean what does being a dad mean. Are dad and father the same thing? I know my relationship with them will have a huge impact on so many future relationships. I don't want to mess it up. I want them to thrive. I want to see my flowers in full bloom.
Fortunately, I have a relationship with a perfect father. My biological father is amazing. Truly. Couldn't ask for better. But he is far from perfect. My Father in heaven, however, is perfect. I need that perfect guidance and example to survive this journey.
There are 3 verses that I keep coming back to when it comes to fatherhood.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.." (Exodus 34:6)
Am I the same, consistent with my daughters or am I fickle? Do I help them define love? Do they know how deeply I love them? Am I compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness?
I want to be. I strive.
I believe, because of God's unique relationship with mankind, earthly fathers have their work cut out for them. A high bar. Unfortunately, so many men have low bars.
If you are a dad reading this, take a moment this weekend to recommit to compassion, grace, and love for your family. When you feel you don't have any to give, re-read the verses above and remember you are made in the image of God so you are capable of these things.
If you have an awesome dad in your life, yours or surrogate, tell them you love them. Pick up the phone and dote on them a bit. They need it.
Finally, thank you to all of you who support my business. I pray that my daughters are able to see what I have done and be encouraged to pursue their dreams.
If you were lucky enough to have a baseball-loving dad like I did then I've got a special little last minute gift for you. I've just added a Kindle version of my book America At The Seams to Amazon. I've marked it down to $2.99 just for this weekend. If you need an extra little something for the dad in your life, consider grabbing a copy of this book. Here is a direct link to it on Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/y9rfrsx9
If you've already read the book, I'd appreciate an Amazon review to help the next purchaser.
I'll also be releasing a video this weekend on Facebook, keep an eye out for it. |
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