A Father’s Love

1 John 3:1a See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

When I think about someone wiping away my tears, I think about Dad. His hands were callused and tough, his fingers short and stubby. And when my father wiped away a tear, he seemed to wipe it away forever. There was something in his touch that took away more than the drop of hurt from my cheek. It also took away my fear. - Max Lucado

Today we celebrate fathers and grandfathers who have been a blessing to their families. To be a father is to take on big responsibilities and to make sacrifices for his family. God calls a father to care for the children entrusted to him, to teach them God’s ways—leading by example.

A father is called to love his children; to laugh with them, to wipe away their tears, to encourage them and be a source of deep and abiding love. Today is a great day to show love and respect for fathers with words and actions of gratitude and affirmation.

But today may be challenging for many, whose fathers were not the kind of fathers described. Maybe you grew up without a father, or he’s no longer living. You may feel fatherless.

Whether your father is one of the best or fell short, there’s a perfect Father Who loves each of us as His own. He is full of unconditional love and promises through faith, “I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters.”

Today we pray for all fathers. Lord continue to strengthen them and fill them with Your love that they pour out into the lives of their children. God, thank You for loving all Your children through Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.