On Mother’s Day, Instagram is flooded with stories and posts and it is impossible to get a reservation or seat at any restaurant. But on Father’s Day, Instagram is a little quieter and you can have your pick of what restaurant you want to eat at without worry of overcrowding and not being seated. I’ve always been disappointed in that. Frustrated by that. Because fathers deserve better than that. My father deserves better than that. I have a father that is the epitome of a man after God’s own heart, of sacrifice, integrity, love, diligence, humility, of perfection. By that, I don’t mean that he is perfect but I have never seen anyone bring excellence to every single thing they do like he does. I have never seen anyone inspire people the way he does. I have never seen someone so brilliant and yet so eager to learn. I have never seen anyone wear a suit like him. I have never seen anyone command respect when he walks into a room like him. I have never seen a man love a woman the way my father loves my mother. I have never seen anyone love God the way my father does. I have never seen anyone love like God with no conditions and bountiful grace like he does.
Even at my best, I am only a fraction of the person he is and that is okay with me because I still have so much more to learn from him. But I would be nothing without his sacrifices, without his wisdom, without his love, without his faith – without him, period. For me, every day is Father’s Day. As I reflect on my life, there is not a moment – difficult or triumphant when he was not there, when his presence was not felt, and when his words did not help me prevail.
In fact, he is why I am a writer. I had not and still have not met anyone as captivating, complex, unwavering, and devoted as my father. But I also had not and have not met anyone as misunderstood as my father. The disparity between who he is and how he is perceived and construed perturbed and disappointed me, but it also moved me to correct the world’s error in my own way, and therein lies my purpose and my greatest joy. I saw no reason for the world to be deprived of knowing him and I am enduringly grateful that I am his daughter, that God blessed me with the gift of the written word, and that the world, through me, if by no other means, will know my father for he truly is. I saw no reason for people and the world, at large, to continue to live without a belief in God, in hope, in love, and in decency when I know all of these things are real and viable and powerful because of my father.
My point in all of this is that fathers are amazing and dynamic and essential. I know that is true of fathers beside mine, and I also know they are taken for granted and they deserve more. They deserve to be recognized, to be respected, to be loved for who they are and what they do day in and day out, often without so much as a thank you.
On this day and every day, please give your fathers their flowers now. Cherish your fathers. Love your fathers. Lift them up and celebrate them for the heroes they are.
Happy Father’s Day!
