First Baptist Church of Herndon

Father, Dad, Papa...

Linda Soller | Jun 17, 2024

Did you celebrate Father’s Day?  We had Donuts for Dads at the church. My memory of this particular celebration over the years was a family cookout where my dad managed the grilling. It struck me as a rather unfair to make him work on his special day. He didn’t seem to mind. So mostly I think of hamburgers and hotdogs when I think of Father’s Day.  Sorry about that dad.

I was blessed to have a great dad. We kids knew where we stood, he worked hard to provide for us. He loved his work and his sports. Most importantly he never let us forget how much he loved us. It gave us a wonderful secure foundation on which to build our hopes and dreams. I can’t imagine life any other way. I knew both of my grandfathers. They were very different from my dad and yet my parents grew up with a very similar relationship with their fathers. Imperfect, loving, hardworking, supportive dads set the base my parents used to build a life. I know not everyone is so lucky.

As Christians we are blessed to have God as our father. He supports us, teaches us, and provides a foundation we can live on. Even those who have not known or spent much time with their earthly dad have the opportunity to know and experience God’s love. God was called many things in the Bible which translate pretty much to daddy, papa, father and so on. He wanted to be close to us and welcomed such terms of endearment. As we celebrate our human fathers and father figures I encourage you to seek out God. Let Him be the father to you that you love(d) or always wanted. We don’t get to pick our human dads. Some are great and others maybe not so much. God is a father you can rely on and treasure. You get to pick God. You get to decide if you will let Him in your life. Once you do, He will always be there for you.

Be kind, be brave, have faith!  : )   Linda