For as long as I can remember, my dad and I have been tight. I'm a self-professed daddy's girl to the core and wouldn't have it any other way. Growing up, my dad was very affectionate and expressive, sometimes much to my embarrassment. He used to sing, "There She Is, Miss America" (not quite in tune, might I add) every morning when I'd sleepily walk down to breakfast with my lovely pillow hair. He would kiss all over my face despite my protests or who might have been around. In the church Christmas production one year I played Twinkle, the star that pointed the shepherds and wise men to the Christ-child, and to this day my dad still calls me 'Twink.'
My dad has been my biggest supporter, even during the times when I couldn't figure out who I was supposed to be, bouncing around from gymnastics to riding horses to basketball to pageants, each hobby requiring more of a financial commitment from him. He has always been the best advice-giver and has coached me through many hard life lessons. He has a depth of wisdom that only comes from the Lord, and sometimes I have to ask him to repeat his philosophical thought processes "in English, Dad."
All that to say, Father's Day has a special place in my heart because of the relationship that I have with my dad. And now that I'll soon be seeing him as a grandfather for the first time and my husband as a father, this Father's Day will be even more special and memorable.
Whether you're like me and have a close-knit relationship with your father or one that's almost non-existent, of one thing I am certain: there is a perfect God who is also a perfect Father in every way. 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!" Children of God...this is our identity. If we have received Jesus' sacrifice as payment for our sins and confessed Him as King of our hearts, we are made complete in Him. We are lacking for nothing. So this Father's Day, no matter what implications or complications the day may hold, we can rest in the fact that we are being perfectly pursued, tenderly fathered, and ever-loved by Almighty God.
