I want to quickly give a shout out to all the dads that work long hours, love their families, fought hard to raise their kids, and stick with their families when life and temptation are drawing them away. I know you are out there. Keep up the good work because the world needs more dads like you. I needed to have a dad like you.
What happens when you don't have a dad? When there is an empty seat at the table and you're left asking Mom when Dad is coming home? After hearing the truth, you are then approached by your little siblings and they ask you when Dad is coming home? You have to deal with the painful reality watching their tear-stained faces as they try to understand that Dad isn't coming home. That he is no longer with us because he thought of us as more of a burden than a blessing. I have been there.
I have had phone calls with Dad as he made plans to visit the family for the holidays. So with anticipation I sat by the window waiting for him to come back to us because he said he would, only to find out that "something came up." After numerous emails, phone calls, and text messages of broken promises, I gave up. The talks were surface level at best, I didn't expect anything from him after that and I moved on with my life. I was 14 when he left my life. Five years after that, I am here writing this today because whether I want to admit it or not, not having that father figure (or a good one at least) does make an impact on a person's life.
My mom did the absolute best she could, but it is hard to be a parent when you are by yourself with a special needs child and five other kids still in the house. The case could be made that I didn't receive the love or attention that I needed. But I honestly feel like I received enough of those things but have really lacked guidance, wisdom, and a hero to look up too. That other kids were able to have someone to lean on, someone that would always be there and was reliable. There is no concrete way to see just how much of not having a good dad has had on me, but I am left feeling empty more often than not. I am sure that I am not alone in this. Yet I have been able to find healing for my darkened heart that came in the form of building a relationship with Jesus!
There is no better way I could talk about fathers and overcoming a broken relationship than by talking about God the Father and what he has done for me! It may seem crazy but I look to the God of the Bible as my Father or my dad. The word says that I am loved by Him and that I am made in His image and likeness. Also that I have Jesus to thank for being able to enjoy that awesome relationship with God the Father but also with my church family!
If none of that made sense, then understand that the bottom line is that it is a real shame that I and many others don't have good dads or even a dad in general. The solution to that emptiness is to let God be the one that tells you how much you are worth (the life of his son Jesus) and lean on him when you get down in your feels. In doing so, life will change for the better, I know mine has.
