My First Father's Day Gift

My First Father’s Day Gift Dr. Vince Hefner, Pastor First Baptist Church Cherryville, North Carolina In case you have forgotten, this Sunday is Father’s Day. This is a time when children will honor their father’s with cards, gifts, and phone calls. Believe it or not, I still have the first gift I ever received for Father’s Day. It was 22 years ago, and my wife gave me a key chain with the word “Dad” engraved on it. I still carry with me. It is a reminder that one of my greatest responsibilities, being a Dad, is both a noun and a verb. As a pastor, husband, and father, I have been described by a number of words, but “Dad” is the most challenging. A Dad is the one who looks for the pacifier at 2:00 a.m. when the baby has lost it somewhere between the church sanctuary and the parsonage. A Dad is the one who will work an extra job to make sure his children have a new dress or a toy that cannot wait until Christmas. A Dad is the one who will love the mother of his children, and show them how a husband should love and treat his wife. A Dad is the one who takes his children to church and sits with them during the service because he knows his behavior speaks louder than his words. A Dad is the one who plays ball with his children in the yard even though he is too tired to chase the ball when it is thrown in the wrong direction. A Dad is the one who takes his children to ball practice, band practice, music lessons, art lessons, and buys all the equipment that is needed for every new hobby. A Dad is the one who is willing to sit in the passenger seat of a car when his children are learning to drive, praying while his life is passing before his eyes. A Dad is the one who sets the rules on dating, and what time his children need to be home during the week and weekend. A Dad is the one who listens to his children when they suffer their first heartbreak, and he tries to bring comfort with words and actions. A Dad is the one who will pay a large sum of money for a prom dress to be worn just one time, because his little girl(s) want a dress that no one else will have at the prom. A Dad is the one who encourages his children when they are deciding what to do with their lives once high school is over and adulthood is beginning to set in. A Dad is the one who shows patience when his children make mistakes and he lets them know he will love them no matter what they do. A Dad is the one who will pay for college, or help his children get started in their new lives. A Dad is the one who will love whoever his children love, because a Dad wants his children to be happy. A Dad is the one who will call his children when they are too busy with their lives to call him. A Dad is the one who will constantly point his children to Jesus, the One who forgives us of all our sins, because Jesus is his source of strength. Ephesians 6:1-4 says, “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” I have been a parent for over 22 years, and I still feel like a novice. This I know about being a dad, we are not always right with every decision, not always on time for important events, not always in the right mood to hear bad news, but we love our children. Be sure to get in touch with your Father, and let him know that you love him and are thinking about him on this special day. I know I will. Remember, don’t give into sin. Think about it!