Father's Day 2010

I was not going to go to church today. I was going to allow my feeling to deter me from fellowship with the body. I was going to isolate myself in self-pity and depression and refuse the aid of the body. Why; because today is father's day. A day when sons and daughters celebrate the male parent(s) in their lives and that is something that I can not do on this world. My dad passed when I was 3, his father before I was born, and my mom's dad when I was seven. I knew what today's sermon was going to be about: it would be Mark standing talking about the types of father-child experiences that I never had growing up. It took so much motivation and grace from God to push me out the door, onto my bike, and down the street to church. As silly as this sounds, I changed my Facebook profile picture to my dad right before I left, a picture of him and me when I was a chubby little thing, just seeing that picture put me to tears. When I got to church, I was immediately greeted by many brothers and sisters, nothing out of the usual, I'm pretty sure most do not know of my particular family situation. Song, communion, and everything else preservative went by great and then it was time. The time had come for Mark to stand before the congregation and talk about stuff my heart would weep over. I was wrong though.

Mark's message just kept coming back to the idea of us as God's child (Rom 8:17 (A), 2 Cor 6:18(B)). I know God is my heavenly father, but like the ancient Israelite who wanted a human king to represent God (1 Sam 8 (C), I wanted a human version of my heavenly father. I wanted a hug from dad after a receiving a good grade, a tip for improving my jump shot, even a disciplining word when I was going through my greatest struggle with sin. What I lacked in the physical, I now can truly appreciate in the spiritual. Moreover, as my relationship with God has increased, so has my relationship with his church. That church that I tried to avoid today, was the same church that gave me a great day of fellowship saturated in joy.

In closing, I never will have another dad on Earth, but I will always have my God in heaven. He knows my needs and has given me a great church to help and support me. Today I thought about avoiding this great creation of God, but something said go and I did. The result: a great lesson, great fellowship, and firm understanding that in all ways I can go to God and he will be my comforter and father.

A: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%208:17%20&version=NIV

B: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor%206:18&version=NIV

C: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20sam%208&version=NIV