Here it comes...the "chili pepper" ties and big sales on "shop vacs" and "power tools"...Father's Day is once again here...to be celebrated this very day...June 16th, 2013!...But what if your "fatherhood experiences" weren't all that great?... In fact, alot of the time I spent with my father were heavily influenced by alcohol...that is when he had time to come and visit my brother and I.
Sound familiar? Many of us have these stories...in our very hearts...and the effect and hurts of it all...may still linger among us. In fact, I had it pretty easy...after hearing and reading of the "horror stories in family values"....coming from what others have experienced.
I really don't know if it is helpful to recognize a national day for mothers and fathers...based on the poor experiences in life many have encountered....yet I like the idea of a national day of observance that allows us to honor and appreciate the standard of living to those who have been good and faithful in their roles as fathers and mothers.
As I have taken time to study on origin of these two particular National Days of Observance, Mother's Day and Father's Day, I begin to sense these days came as a result of death and the difficulties of life in past generations.
Take Mother's Day for example....there was this lady back in the mid-1800's, an Anna Reeves Jarvis, who had given birth to 11 children...only 4 surviving to adulthood. She took it upon herself to evaluate the mortal cost of disease and poor sanitation in her day, and organized "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to combat the problems of her era and give their children a better chance to live long and productive lives.
During the Civil War, these "Mother's Day Work Clubs" were encouraged to remain neutral and focus on nursing wounded soldiers, both Confederate and Union.
The work of Anna Reeves Jarvis that was expressed through her family, her church, and her community would later be felt on a national level and the importance of motherhood would be recognized by all.
One of Anna's surviving children, also named Anna, carried on her mother's wishes and began a letter writing campaign that would establish a national holiday and celebrated the importance of motherhood.
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed and issued Proclamation 1268 which created a national Mother's Day to be observed annually each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
Ironically, the younger Anna...never had any children of her own...and was buried with her mother in Philadelphia.
OK....so what about Father's Day?
This day was also created from...mortal cost. A Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the idea of creating a special day to honor fathers on June 20th, 1909.
Sonora had experienced the death of her own mother while giving birth to the 6th child in their family at the age of 16...and watched as her own father raised her and her 5 brothers in a responsible and honorable way. As a result, Sonora also campaigned to recognize good and faithful fathers.
Although the idea of a Father's Day faded for a time, in 1972 President Richard Nixon permanently established the observance of Father's Day as a national holiday to be celebrated annually on the 3rd Sunday of June.
Sonora's father was named William Smart.
Today, Father's Day is an annual celebration in numerous countries and promotes the importance of paternal bonds and the general influence of fathers in society. Father's Day was birthed as a compliment to the already established Mother's Day, yet brings its own uniqueness.
When I think of Father's Day, the word that foremost comes to my mind is integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as: "keeping adherence to moral character and a good principle of ethics through daily personal life. It is to demonstrate virtues such as honesty and respect and to be straightforward in your decisions, preserving and passing on these highly deemed qualities to the next generation".
In the New Testament, Saint Paul makes a couple of statements regarding fathers, and these 2 verses seem to give me an inner peace within a "mixed bag of thoughts" when it comes to the thought of observing "Father's Day".
A Gleaning from Ephesians 6:4
" Fathers, don't treat your children in a way that would cause them to become angry or resentful in their general outlook toward life. Don't just open your mouth and yell at them, rather, take the time to raise them, and do it in a matter that comes from a heart of tenderness....and let the disciplines of life be conveyed to your children...through the very acts of this tenderness. Do not allow anger or the bitterness of life that you may have encountered...be the "teachers of your children"...whom you should love dearly."
A Gleaning from Colossians 3:21
" Fathers, don't come down hard on your children to the point you fill their hearts with an embitterment toward life. Do not allow your responsibility as a father cause your children to feel insecure about themselves, frustrated, discouraged, or carry a "fear of life" in their hearts. When you do this, it causes your children to give up on life...from the weight of your condemnation you have attached to them...crushing them to a point they no longer care about life...or what it truly has to offer them."
There is no doubt fatherhood is a tremendous responsibility...and we all have heard the "good, the bad, and the ugly" of men who have taken on the role as fathers.
I think the role of a father is like many other areas of responsibilities of life: "It's not just about you"....it goes beyond ourselves. Sure there are plenty of stories of men who have failed in life in their role as a father...yet the standard of being a good father...are "set in stone" in the Sacred Scripture...and there are those who have completed their journey in life as a father...with great success and children who are strong both in mind and soul.
I always remind myself of the words from Psalm 103:13: " The Lord is like a father to his children...tender and full of compassion to anyone who embraces qualities such as being respectful and keeping yourself upfront and honest...and giving honor to Him."
My own father passed away on March 31st, 1995 from lung cancer. Although our relationship had been somewhat rocky at times, I am grateful the last couple of years of his life I was able to be there for him....and particularly excited the day he gave his heart...to the Lord Jesus Christ!
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