Another Father's Day....

Father's Day is approaching on Sunday.  As with many "family" holidays, I cringe inside and take a deep breath.  "Just get through it...it's just another day..." "Focus on your wonderful Step-father!" I give myself the mighty pep talks to gird myself with energy.  But deep inside, I cry for my boys whose fathers do not play significant roles in their lives.  I cry for myself because I feel the weight of raising godly men on my shoulders as a single mom. Can I skip Sunday? Disappear for 24 hours in a hideout somewhere? 'Tis the season for the alarming statistics on the terrible effects of an absent dad to roll out like the morning tide while I sit unaware as it plows over me.  If not an alarming statistic, giant headlines of "normal" families with plastered white teeth smiles shine at me from everywhere...

Through the cacophony of my thoughts, I hear my own mother's voice to the ears of a 4-year-old whose father had been killed in an accident, "Jesus is now your daddy" to my little girl question of "Who will be my daddy now?" The statistics disappear, the weight is lifted, the crying can cease...Abba Father is my Father.  He is Father to my boys.

Psalm 68 soothes my soul...and promises that God is Father to my precious sons...
⁴ Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
    extol him who rides on the clouds;
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
⁵ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling.
⁶ God sets the lonely in families,
    he leads out the prisoners with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 

I count my blessings...I have a wonderful family and community.  I am not alone in this.  My boys are healthy, happy, and my 8-year-old has a growing faith.  My boys absolutely adore each other.  God has given me a beautiful family...and He is our father and my defender.

Happy Father's Day to all of you living out your journey in however God has designed your family.  Thank you to the Father's who are living out your calling as men who model integrity and are there for your children.  And thank you to the mom's and dad's who are journeying as both mom and dad in their families. Hug those who long to be a Father but weep quietly because it has not happened for them. Wrap your arms around each other and give each other strength and know that our strength is in our Abba Father.