by Chad Dearey

On a day that should mark the celebration of many fathers, many are internalizing this day with pain, confusion, regret, and abandonment.  Many sons and daughters are the casualty of a broken home where the dad physically, emotionally, or spiritually checked out.  Many look back at their childhood and can only remember the pain.  Many fathers are struggling today because they aren’t the father that they hoped to be.  They have tried time and time again to become a better man but they are inevitably left with disappointment because they fail in their role.  The hardest part is that these men were never taught how to be a father.  The greatest gift that was bestowed upon these men was turned over to television, to peers, to the mothers, to any vacuum that would suck the attention of this broken son or daughter.

But You, Daddy, You stepped in.  You said no more.  You destroyed the veil.  The separation that was upon us was torn into two.  You delivered to us a Savior.  One that gave us unrestricted access to You and Your Fatherhood.  You told us that you would never leave us, never forsake us.  You promised us.  And unlike any man, You have remained true.  You saw that we needed a Comforter, a Guide, a lasting Gift and you gave us the Holy Spirit.  Thank you Daddy for this day.  I celebrate who You are, the life that You have given and the promise of what is to come.

I speak to all of the daughters out there who didn’t have a true Dad.  It was not your fault. Your broken pieces can be easily be mended by one touch.  Peace, restoration and a sense of belonging are yours today.  You have a new Daddy, and every empty memory of your past will be replaced by the joy of another day with your true Daddy.

Men- I speak to you.  You have what it takes.  You may have failed.  You may have turned out distant like your father, but it isn’t too late.  Study your Daddy and learn His love.  Learn His acceptance, His pleasure, His delight.  Your value is not measured in what you do, what you have done, what occupation you have, or how much money you have made.  He takes pleasure in you today because you are His.  He heals all past wounds now, binds every lie that the enemy has spoken and frees you today from regret. Understand that you will fail and fail again if you continue to work this out on your own. There is a grace that is available so that you can quit striving, working, and fixing only to end up empty-handed. Today this grace is yours.

Young men – your identity is now in Christ. You are important, you are cherished, and you are a mighty man in the making.  Today marks the day when your Daddy enters your life healing the scars from your emotional, physical and spiritual pains.

Daddies who are running the race, who are rewarding their children with the true love of our Daddy – thank you, thank you, thank you.  You have given much.  You have decided that your legacy is more important than your lusts.  You have decided to step over from being a male to being a man.  You have shown your children that your wife is to be cherished, respected and pursued.  You have shown your wife that she can see a daddy who is present and who is laying himself down daily for the glory of lasting treasures.  Do not let up, do not slow down, there is a lasting crown that is waiting for you.

The difference between a good dad and a great dad is measured by the degree to which he points his family to Christ.  Daddy, I want to be a great dad.