"Honor you father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you." - Exodus 20:12
Honor. Webster's New World Dictionary (Third College Edition), in one of its definitions of the word, says it is to have 'high regard' for or 'great respect given.' That's not just placing one's father, or any other significant male role model, on some sort of pedestal. For me, it means allowing their impact and influence to permeate who I am. And, it implies a trust we have for that person. To be a father, then, is a huge undertaking, and one that should be taken with the utmost seriousness.
Today we honor fathers. As we noted on Mother's Day, a 'father' is not just a biological parent. After all, they may be the antithesis of what a true father is. Rather, it is any male who has played a significant role in a young person's life, be they a relative, or teacher, or maybe a neighbor. It could be a doctor or other professional. Or maybe the person who delivered our mail. You see, God provides each of us with lots of potential 'fathers' just as God provides lots of 'mothers.'
I'm both fortunate and blessed. My father was a role model in every understanding of the word. Not only did I learn what it meant to be a man (i.e., treating all people, regardless of economic, ethnic, social , etc., class, with respect. I learned to say yes ma'am and yes sir. Of course, my mother did this as well, but this is Father's Day so I'll stick to my dad. I learned to love sports, and learned that it was okay to fail. Never was I chastised by either of my parents for not getting a hit or missing a fly ball. Other kids on my teams, or on my brother's teams, weren't as fortunate.
Probably the greatest thing I learned from my dad was serving with humility, never pointing to myself. My parents always had us in church. Non-attendance was never an option. Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night. It didn't matter. We were in church. Period. But in that regimen, Dad taught us not in words but in how he approached church attendance, that worshiping God was of great importance, and that following Jesus was the best any human can do.
I'm grateful for the role my father played in my life. Although he no longer is here (he died in 2005), his influence lives in me. So, thank you, Dad, and thank you to all of the males (and maybe, in some cases, females) who played a significant role in our lives. As we travel the road of discipleship, may we honor all persons recognizing that they, too, are children of God. See you on the journey.
Grace and peace,
Mike
June 21, 2015