Fathers Day!
We just celebrated fathers day this past weekend. For me, it is one of my favorite days of the year. As you all know we have only one daughter and she writes something special every year. She does not know it, but I copy and save it in a particular file. When God made Adam and Eve, it states that God rested on the seventh day of creation. Have you ever wondered what God did on that day? He finished creating them at the end of the sixth day.
I believe God visited with Adam and Eve on the first Sabbath. We know God walked with them in the Garden of Eden. The first Sabbath was also the first Father’s Day in scripture for them.
Gen. 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Gen. 2:1-2 Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Gen. 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
I want to honor all our male Coaches because you have modeled what true fathers are to a whole generation. Thank you so much. Here is one of many times Aninka wrote a message to me for fathers day.
“While many girls grew up playing dolls and dreaming of Prince Charming, I grew up climbing trees and listening to stories of the great South African wild. I grew up with my head in the clouds, a keen ear for music, a deep love for the unknown, and a yearning for stories, people, and places beyond my immediate reach. I thank my father immensely for giving me the wings I needed to grasp these things. The gifts he gave me were so much more valuable than a mere blueprint on “how to get swept off my feet by a valiant prince on his noble steed.” While my mom taught me HOW to breathe fire, it was my dad that taught me that it is perfectly okay if I DO breathe fire.
He’s always been a strong man that believes in raising strong women. He taught me that it’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a voice and to be her own person – that she deserves to be loved and respected, but that her self-worth will never depend on the opinions and feelings of others. He taught me that I will make an impact on this world and that my words and actions will have consequences. He taught me how to love those around me, showed me the kind of love I deserved, and most importantly – how to love myself.
He told me I was smart, independent, and beautiful. He taught me to never give up on my dreams. And because my daddy said so, I never had reason to doubt in myself. He understood that the amount of faith I have in myself is more valuable, and more powerful, than the faith anyone else will ever have in me.
So I’m thankful to my mom for showing me that I never needed to wait for a prince to save me – I only needed a sword of my own. And I’m thankful to my dad for giving me that sword and teaching me how to use it. I grew up believing in fairy tales and true love, but he made me know that I wasn’t meant to be a broken damsel in distress. He taught me how to save myself and he set the standard for what I expected in a man. For that, I’m forever grateful.
So thank you, daddy – for not only giving me the best example of a man who loves, protects, and provides for his family – but for raising me to be able to fight my own battles and allowing me to use my voice. Even if what I was saying was wrong. And thank you for always being by my side to encourage me, help me, and push me. I’m who I am because of you, and I’m blessed beyond measure to have you as my father.
I love you, and Happy Father’s Day.”
God is our Father – John 1:12-13. James 1:18. I think it would be great if you take some time this week and write God a fathers day letter.
