In 2009 Father’s Day occurred on the same day that summer began. This year Father’s Day is on June 20, just one day away from the beginning of summer. “So what?” you ask. I’m glad you asked. Well, it’s not really a big deal. I just like to associate Father’s Day with the beginning of summer because there are about a million activities, give or take a few, that fathers get involved in during summer. Some are enjoyable; others are more enjoyable; yet others are admittedly somewhat of a pain.
Many fathers enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, or golfing. Some dads like to plant and tend vegetable gardens. Wilma’s dad always had a garden. One summer his three-pound tomato was recognized on WAAY TV and was added to the list of “Gary’s Garden Giants.” Other dads like to care for trees, flowers and lawns. Still others walk away at the mention of gardening. And that’s ok; everybody can’t be a gardener.
Some dads race automobiles; others simply repair them. Some dads make big bucks playing sports, while others make big impressions on little folks by teaching them to hit, throw and catch a ball. A few dads become famous for a monumental discovery. Many dads become loved and respected because they discover that satisfaction and contentment come by doing acts of service to their families and to their Lord. My dad was one of those, and I’m most thankful for the memories I have of him and the devotion he had for his family and his Savior.
An event that many fathers find satisfying is planning for and taking their families on a summer vacation. (No…not like the Griswold summer vacation.) While our children were growing up, summer vacation was an annual highlight of our family life. I remember one dad in a former church who had saved money for just such a purpose. During a Life Action meeting at that church he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to give to the ministry of Life Action the money he had saved for a summer vacation. His children were disappointed at first, but they understood. Later that year some money appeared out of nowhere (presumably), and the family took their vacation then.
I think there’s a message in that story. Fathers should delight themselves in serving their families. The only thing fathers should have a greater delight in is serving their Lord. That’s not always the easy thing for fathers to do, but it is always the right thing. And I don’t believe God would have fathers spend so much time serving Him that the family is neglected. It’s all about the proper balance in allocating one’s time.
I believe there is scriptural basis for that viewpoint. The writer of Proverbs talks about fathers who delight in their children. “…the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:12 NIV) The psalmist encourages all of us – fathers included: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV) Suppose we make a connection between these two passages. We could make the case for a father delighting himself in his family, and that delight being a very close second to the father’s delight in his Heavenly Father. I don’t believe it would be a perversion of Scripture to make that connection, do you?