How many of us have Fathers who are in heaven? For those like me, Father’s Day is empty. I miss those times of celebration when we would have a big meal together. To show my love and appreciation, I would give Daddy a gift and a Father’s Day card inscribed with a personal note. Year after year, our routine never faltered. But sometimes a foreboding thought would dimly cross my mind: Would this be our last year to celebrate?

The last celebration arrived, but thankfully, I didn’t know it. Fortunately, we camcorded it back in 1994, and I was able to watch it again today. It’s odd to watch yourself twenty-seven years ago, but perhaps the oddest revelation is seeing what you missed at the time. I had never noticed how lovingly protective my father was, especially toward my two young daughters. Behind his easy-going and joking nature, a lion kept serious vigilance.

That lion would protect us through a terrible, unexpected time when my marriage ripped in two. He provided for us so that the girls and I could have secure and happy lives. The lessons he taught me gave me courage and strength to face the future. The older I become, the more I grow like him, and the beauty of his legacy lives on.

Our heavenly Father

In addition to our earthly fathers, we Christians take comfort in our relationship with Father God. When Jesus walked the earth, He taught about His heavenly Father, who is perfect in every way. Let’s count some of those ways together:

God is a good, good Father. So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God’ (Mark 10:18 NKJV).

God sent us a Savior. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 NKJV).

God gives us good gifts. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17 NKJV).

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV).

God is our provider. ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!‘ (Matthew 7:11 NKJV).

God is our healer. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:14-16 NKJV).

God has a good plan for our lives. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope‘ (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV).

This day of remembering our earthly fathers may be bittersweet, but feasting on our good memories brings comfort. May we also be deeply thankful to our heavenly Father who has provided not only for our sojourn on the earth but also for our eternity with Him. As Christians, we have the blessed hope of being reunited with our fathers and loved ones in heaven. Most importantly, we will see Jesus face-to-face and spend eternity worshiping Him.

Now, won’t that be a grand Father’s Day?

‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.‘

John 16:33 NKJV

May the Lord grant you comfort, joy, and peace on this special day.

A Blessed Memory on Father’s Day by Karen Jurgens copyright 2021 All rights reserved