Father’s Day 2009

As my mind is flooded with gift possibilities for my dad on this Father’s Day (a tie, a tie, or a gift card….for a tie), I cannot prevent the thoughts of those less-fortunate than I. Scores of children have not had the privilege of growing up in the home of their birth father as I did. Scores of children have been abandoned, ignored, abused, and mistreated by the man that made it possible for them to be born into this world…their father. My hope and prayer is that my generation will rebel against the lifestyle of the absent father. We must rebel against the philosophy of this world. We must have strong male leadership in the home. As the Bible states, “Honour thy FATHER and thy mother.” and “Children, obey your PARENTS in the Lord.” and “And ye FATHERS, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” One thing that is necessary in each of these verses is the FATHER. Just this morning, I learned of yet another husband and wife team that are separating…giving up. Our fathers are dropping like flies. We must determine to keep our promises and vows we made on our wedding days! We must stay faithful to our wives and children. To cheat on your wife is to cheat your children out of having a godly father.

I thank God for the example my dad, Pastor Jack Cox, displayed during my years living under his roof as well as the years that have followed. As I celebrate my first Father’s Day as a father, I find myself wanting to duplicate the love and compassion that my dad showed me to my little girl, Kelsey. To think that Kelsey’s future is partly in my hands (ultimately the Lord’s) is a humbling thought.

So I will embrace fatherhood. I will embrace the RESPONSIBILITY that fatherhood brings. I will not bail out on my daughter. I will not bail out on my wife. I will not make myself a liar. I will stand true to my Saviour, my family, and my ministry!

Happy Father’s Day to all!