I have been thinking about Father’s Day and what makes it “Happy.” Yesterday I saw people shopping for just the right present to make their father happy. I’m sure their intentions were good, but the best “present” I ever received as a father was a Godly child. No present could compare to my daughter loving the LORD and passing that love on to our grandchildren.
My own father wasn’t perfect, but he did try to raise me right, he took or let me go to Church and was an encouragement to me as an adult. He is perfect now because he went to be with JESUS in 2000.
As I write this the news is filled with details of the tragic shooting that took place in a Church prayer meeting. Seeing how the young white man murdered innocent black people, after sitting with them in a prayer meeting, it makes me wonder what kind of father he has. His father gave him the gun he used, indicating there was a relationship between them. Why would a father give a gun to his troubled son? Did the father plant seeds of hatred that led to these murders or did he just fail to plant love? We don’t know where the failure was, but the results were devastating. It won’t be a happy day for that father.
There were some bright spots during this terrible ordeal. Many of the victim’s family members forgave the killer soon after he killed their loved ones. They forgave this man who spent months planning his attack, targeted the prominent black Church, and who briefly hesitated because the people were so nice to him. They could have lashed out in their grief or returned the hatred that fueled the attack. Instead, they were great examples of the influence a loving father can have.
I’m sure there are others that taught them the undeserved forgiveness they showed the killer, but the best example was our Heavenly Father. He forgave us though we didn’t deserve it. He sent His only son to die for us before we knew Him. JESUS said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 KJV) and He did. Now it is a Happy Father’s Day for our Heavenly Father, because when He looks at us, we look like JESUS!
Wayne Lance (2015) – That’s Good News to Share!