For many celebrating Fathers Day is a chance to thank their wonderful fathers for all the love, support and encouragement that they have contributed to their lives.
For others sadly that isn’t the case as they mourn the death of their father, relive the pain of an absent father, struggle with the heartache of an abusive father or for some live with the sorrow of never having known who their father was.
I have been really struck by the new Vodafone advert (see above, click link to watch).
A man is at a party, obviously celebrating his promotion at work, and he is just about to make a speech when his mobile rings. He answers it and on the other end is his daughter, in her car, crying she says to him,
“Dad, he’s left me”
He says “Where are you?”
She replies “well I’m parked, half way up the High Street, I couldn’t drive for crying. It’s just made me so angry. I tried to understand what he wanted. I just wanted us to be happy. Is that too much to ask?
“No” he answers.
As she talks he is fast approaching her in a taxi.
“and then he said it was over, like he didn’t even care.” she continues.
“Don’t worry I will be with you very soon” he assures her.
At that moment the taxi stops and he gets into her car. He smiles and hugs her.
“You weren’t doing anything were you?” she asks him as he holds her.
“No, I was just emptying the dishwasher” he says tenderly as he continues to hold her.
For me this is a wonderful example of a father’s love, unconditional, sacrificial love. It makes you feel both happy and sad at the same time. Sadly it’s the kind of love that some of us will never experience from our earthly fathers yet there is Good News for us all. It is the kind of love that we can all experience at all times from our Heavenly Father - Father God. Who says,
“When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.” Psalm 34:18
“I love you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3
“You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.” Psalm 139:15-16
“And it is my desire to lavish my love on you, simply because you are my child and I am your Father.” 1 John 3:1
Please know and believe this.
For those of you looking forward to Sunday, know that God loves you with an everlasting love!
For those of you not looking forward to Sunday, know that God loves you with an everlasting love!
God’s love for everyone is sacrificial and unconditional, whether you know and love Him or not. There is nothing you could ever do that could make Him stop loving you! Nothing at all.
Allow Him to hold you and say “no, I was just emptying the dishwasher”.
If you would like to know more about this wonderful love that is available to all I would love to tell you all about it.
Happy Father’s Day to you all.
I'm comforted by your writing. I am a person who thinks complicatedly, to have a simple mind can be a luxury sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYes, HE is just a simple as that.