“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” ~ Psalm 103:13
A friend of Blessed Be shared her heartfelt journey of how God gently reminded her to cherish and be grateful for her earthly father. Her story is a beautiful reminder of the profound blessings and love that fathers bring into our lives despite their imperfections.
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I used to get upset when people told me I looked like my dad. Weren’t all daughters supposed to look like their moms? I didn’t want to have a manly face.
That changed over the years, as I gradually grew into accepting myself. In conversations, I would casually tell my friends that I looked more like my father. When asked to produce a photo of my dad for comparison, I realized pictures of him in my phone were so elusive that I struggled to produce a photo on the spot. Growing up, my dad was always the one behind the camera. Our childhood albums were flooded with smiling photos of me, my mom and my little brother, but rarely did we have photographs with all four family members in frame.
To be honest, that was kind of how our family dynamics functioned in general. Mom was the loud and affectionate parent. Meanwhile, Dad was the backstage guy, always working behind the scenes to keep things together.
While we turned to Mom for love, advice and Godly wisdom, we raised our voices at Dad for lifts to the mall, dinner takeaways and pocket money.
As my brother and I got older, arguing with Dad became the norm. We would often shout and yell at each other, and Dad would yell and shout…
But after the whole screaming match was done and over with, dad would grumpily ask us what we wanted to buy for dinner, or if we needed a lift to someplace. I guess that was something my brother and I always took for granted— that Dad would always be there for us even when we weren’t very good to him.
In a similar way, that’s how we take our Heavenly Father for granted. If being rude to our earthly parents and taking advantage of their love is wrong, what more of God, who loves us boundlessly? As we commemorate our earthly dads on Father’s Day, let’s not forget to give thanks to our doting Father in heaven, for his endless grace, mercy and compassion. And at the end of the day, although my dad and I can bicker on with each other for an eternity, I’m proud to say I share his features!
(from a friend of Blessed Be)
