Our Father Will Never Abandon Us

By Deacon Robin Adair

They say you can judge a man’s character by the way he acts while playing golf. I remember a few years ago observing a man extremely frustrated and angry at his golf game, throwing his entire bag of golf clubs into a lake! Just as he was stomping up the hill from the lake, his partner yells across, “Didn’t your wife and kids buy you those expensive clubs for Father’s Day”? The guy stopped in his tracks, turned around and dove into the water after them! For all you guys golfing on Father’s Day, STAY CALM!

On this Father’s Day, I reflect on some of the storms we dads weather and fears we overcome. Let me share with you a few of mine over the years; keep in mind we had daughters(!):

Searching in panic for your lost 2-year-old daughter in the mall at the peak of the Christmas shopping crowd, sick to your stomach that she is being whisked away by some child molester.

Dropping your daughter off for the first day of school as you drive off to work watching her in the rearview mirror.

Wondering why your daughter hasn’t called you at midnight from their first concert at Blossom when they said they would as the clock says 2:00 a.m.

Walking your daughter down the aisle and wondering if this is the man who will make her happy and be a good husband.

Seeing your daughter stare helplessly at her newborn hand-size son lying in a blue, glass incubator; tubes and wires attached to him while being told it could be 4 more weeks before she can take him home.

And of course, there is always the big picture: Will they have a decent world to live in? Will the national debt affect their security? Will the threat of terrorism be a daily occurrence? Will they be safe even in church?

These are just some of the storms that cause the fears that fathers all share raising their children.

I am sure that everyone here, not just the dads, have had similar feelings. Turmoil is normal because we live in an imperfect world, a world that rejected the Perfect One. God is greater than the turmoil. He sees. He knows. He controls. Only He does that His way, not our way, through his Son Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We too often expect our lives to be perfect; taking for granted all the “inconveniences” that come our way. God never promised us a perfect life without trials and pain, but he did promise to give us enough strength to go forth.

And He does promise to always be with us through our trials and troubles and storms. We all need to remember that in a strange way, the storms in life are as important as the blessings in life because the storms of life can makes us stronger and bring us closer to God. So, remember, STAY CALM! And think Trinitarian: OUR FATHER WILL NEVER ABANDON US! JESUS IS ABOARD OUR SHIP! THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GUIDING AND INSPIRING US!

Happy Father’s Day!