Honoring Fathers

Sunday, our kids decorated toolboxes for Dad during the service. It was interesting to see what my boys decided to put on the box: logos from all my favorite sports teams, and praises like "Dad Rocks," which is the ultimate compliment in their world. Some of my favorite toolboxes of the day were the ones decorated by the smallest kids: just scribbles of various colors. I'm sure those scribbles mean a lot those kids' dads.

I heard a comment on the radio this past week from someone who had been shopping for Father's Day cards. They noticed that half of the cards on the shelf made fun of dad in some way. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think that's a sad commentary on our society. Dads are easy targets, I suppose, and there are probably enough people with "dad issues" to create a market for cards that avoid honoring him. Whatever the reason, the simple commandment to honor your father had been largely lost on what is supposed to be his special day.

We are determined that Mother's and Father's Days at the Springs will always be positive and encouraging. Mother's Day is not a day to preach from Proverbs 31 and make the moms feel guilty for not being perfect, and Father's Day is not the day to hammer the dads for not being better spiritual leaders in the home. Sometimes we just need to honor people without any strings attached.

This Father's Day, you may have found it difficult to honor your father, your husband, or the father of your children. I heard a lot more stories from friends this weekend about the struggles they had with their dads than I did about the great memories they had. But interestingly, the biblical command to honor our fathers doesn't come with any condition that they be honorable men: "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12 TNIV. It's the only commandment that comes with a promise that obedience to it improves the quality of our lives. Without it, we tend to hold on to a lot of bitterness.

How did you honor a dad in your life this week? What prevents you from being able to honor a dad, even if you don't consider him worthy of honor? Leave a comment and let the community learn from your experience.