SEASONS - A TIME FOR HONORING OUR FATHERS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Fathers are our greatest national resource, but is anyone out there listening?  Do we step over and walk through gold mines every day in order to mine coal?   Are we listening to all the wrong voices and all the wrong answers?  Next to God and the Bible, good fathers are our greatest source of wisdom.  What has happened to priorities when it comes to honoring our fathers?  The Holy Scriptures speak loudly to us of the fact that our children’s hearts can be molded when they turn their hearts to their fathers.  The strong reasoning behind this statement is that when their children’s lives are at stake, a Father’s heart is always true.  A true father will lay down his life for the sake of his children.  You can trust this statement.
 
It took a long time and a lot of hard work by many people for Father’s Day to become official in the United States.   The first unofficial celebration of Father’s Day happened in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910.  It seems that was the day that Sonora Smart Dodd decided to celebrate and honor the life of her father, William Jackson Smart, who was a civil war veteran as well as a single parent. It seems that Mr. Smart was an amazing man who raised six children all by himself.  The idea of celebrating and honoring fathers caught on locally after that event; but it took quite a while for it to catch on nationally.

The trend really grew in the areas of Spokane, Washington.  After speaking to a crowd in Spokane in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson suggested that Father’s Day be made a national holiday.  Congress resisted for fear that the day would become commercialized.  In 1924 the same idea was suggested again by President Calvin Coolidge, but it was once more pushed aside.  A Senator from Main, Margaret Chase Smith, became offended by the fact that mothers were always honored on a special national holiday, but never fathers.  She wrote a long letter to Congress expressing her concern about this in 1957.  She pointed out that the country had been ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers.  In the end the official establishment of Father’s Day as a national holiday took as long as the time it took for Moses to lead The Children of Israel to The Promised Land!  Time kept marching on without an official declaration of a national Father's Day. 

Finally, in 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation to honor fathers, and proclaimed the third Sunday in June Father’s Day in America.  It took six more years for that to become official, but in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed it into law.   Now that is quite a lot of history for such an important day! 

I have to agree with Margaret Chase Smith!  Where would we all be today without the love of our dear Fathers?  Good fathers are the most important factor we possess to change the downward spiral and wrong direction of our nation.  Maybe if we take more time to honor them, they all will begin to realize their importance and step up to bat for all of us.   Can you imagine an America where all fathers decided to step up and take charge of their homes, children, churches, government, communities and work places?  For too long their vital council in our lives has been ignored, pushed aside and trampled on by those who wish to push an evil and perverted agenda onto our society with no thought or concern for others or the future of all. 

America, our fathers matter.  If you are one of the many brave fathers with strong convictions and morals who has been forced to take a stand in the public schools, or your local community activities, or the governmental changes taking place, or the leadership of your local church congregation, you understand very well what I mean and how important your actions are for the benefit and well being of all.  Sometimes the role of a father is a very lonely, unrewarding place to be, but the importance of input from mature wise men that have learned how to raise decent families is critical at this time in America's history.   The fathers who step up, take charge and act will make a difference in the future.  It may be a very long, hard battle sometimes, but thank God for men who are willing to stay in the trenches and fight for their families.  

I know they still exist.  There are still a lot of selfless, bold, courageous men out there; we just aren’t hearing about them from the media anymore.  My own Dad was one of those individuals.  I have always been very proud of his honesty and his ability to stand alone if needed in making hard decisions for our family.  I’ve always known I could count on his integrity and his ability to distinguish right from wrong.  I will not have my Dad physically with me this Father's Day and he will be greatly missed.  He will be celebrating Father's Day with his own Father in Heaven though, what could be better for him?   

My husband is also from this special breed of men who puts the needs of others before his own personal needs and gain.  His "Pop" was of the same good character.  Both my husband and I are blessed with brothers who have desired to be good fathers and to do the right things for their families.  Now we have wonderful son-in-laws who are following these great examples.  We are among the blessed.  I am forever thankful for this fact.  They are rare, these good fathers, but these men are still fighting their daily battles and working very hard to keep the dying dreams of America alive and well.  So much is different and unique in the world of true fathers.  These men actually work for a living.  They don’t depend on the government for handouts.  Instead they serve the government honorably by taking jobs that promote the welfare of all.  Their hard earned tax money is the money that goes into the government's tills and takes care of all those who aren't able to provide for their own.  They actually want it to be useful, fair and beneficial to all people.  They very seriously go to the polls and vote for good men that they think will best handle the huge responsibility of our government and our freedom.  Yes, they work even in this strange economy where jobs are not plentiful, these men still get up and go out every day and look for ways to make a living for their families.  They don't throw up their hands and give up.  If their field of expertise isn’t hiring anymore, and most of them are not, they are not ashamed to get their hands dirty and do hard labor in order to feed those that they love.  Men over fifty have never worked so hard for so little as right now in America.  They take what work they can find and they gladly do a good job.  They look for honest ways to make ends meet.  In the middle of this whole process, you might see them often doing without so that others may have what they need.  You won't hear them complaining about not having enough.  They keep their eyes open, they are always searching  for ways to make things better. 

The true Fathers of our country have learned to appreciate the things in life that have no price tags, and they teach their children to do the same.  They expect their children to have comparable work ethics.  They teach them to appreciate the value of a dollar, and they also teach them to balance that with a Sabbath rest.  They learned from their true fathers to set aside one day in seven to honor the Father of All.  They give a tenth of all they have, even if it is not much, to the work that The Father is blessing.   These brave men aren’t afraid to speak up and say “I believe in God .”  They do not have qualms about praying out loud in public places, and they can’t understand how anyone could be offended by their Great and Awesome God, or not want to hear the Name of Jesus at the end of their prayers. 

None of these fathers minded fighting for this country, and risking their lives for our freedom.  They can see the downward spiral of America taking place, but they still pray for change, they act on change and they still dream of a better day to come.  They believe that sometimes the impossible is possible.  They will defend your right to speak your mind, and they will uphold the law of the land.  They believe in being fair and just.  They don’t see colors when they look at people’s skin, instead they see hearts.  They have a code of honor and respect for treating all of God’s creatures with dignity.  They do not tolerate violence.  They do everything possible to make the world a safe place.  They know there are good people out there with overwhelming problems and they are always there to share and lend a helping hand.  They understand hard circumstances, they have lived there for a long time too.  They show kindness and mercy to all.  They will give you the shirt off their back if they think you need it.  They understand what it is like to be young and inexperienced and not know what to do next.  They are wise. and they gladly share their wisdom with those willing to listen.   

These good mature men are slow to speak and quick to listen.  They use their hands and feet to put action to their words.  They won’t let you walk alone.   They are not critical and judgmental with their help; but they love with the same mercy and kindness shown by the Father that they serve from heaven.  They know that sometimes the only thing that works is tough love.  They grit their teeth and enforce this tough love, even if sometimes it tears them apart inside.  They do whatever it takes to accomplish the right end.  They never give up.  

Yes, some of these honorable and true fathers are still out there.    You may not hear about them in the news, and they may be quiet as they go through their days, and you may not always notice what is going on with them.  They are men of action, and they let their actions speak for themselves.  They don’t need your approval, they don’t need you to remind them what to do, it comes with the title.  They take the title of "Father" seriously. 

These real men don’t mind coming home from twelve hours of hard labor and pitching a softball for two hours with a young boy trying to make the team.   These real men still compliment their wives when they put food on the table every night, even if it is just beans and cornbread.  They often help wash the dishes.  These men are thankful for a heart willing to tend to a family and a partner who cares about the importance of making a home.  These men who are tempted everyday by the rampant evil activities of this selfish and ungodly world that we live in, the world of pornography, free and easy sex and casual affairs, and they turn their heads and walk away.  You won't find the perversions of the world creeping into their homes through the back door.  They live on a higher plane.  These are not the things that motivate their hearts.  They still know the meaning of a marriage vow, and they meant it when they said “I do” on their wedding day.  

I'm talking about a group of men who will sell everything they have in order to get medical treatment for a sick child; and the ones who will sacrifice the boat, the new car, the motorcycle or the second home in order to make sure their son or daughter gets a college education.   Yet you will discover that education to them is more than the stuff you can find in books and on a college campus.  They teach their children the important things of life at home, and their homework assignments are extensive.  They instruct them and prepare them for a world that would love to prey on their youth.  They leave the communication lines open with their families.  These real fathers are not unapproachable people.  These are men who have spent a lifetime listening to their children’s hearts, and they know how to help them when the time of their need arrives.   

These are men who take in elderly parents when they come to the point in life where they can no longer help themselves.  They will give up their privacy in order to care for the aging and dying and those who need some extra care.  They will show honor and respect and decency to those who have walked life’s journey before them.  These real fathers appreciate the value of the legacy of love that others have left behind.  There is no price tag on this loyalty.  It comes with the package, totally free of charge.

On Father’s Day, these are the real men, the true fathers that I look up to.  These are the men who I chose to honor.  I also chose to honor the Greatest Father of All, the One from whom these great fathers draw their strength and wisdom.  Does it matter at all?  Yes, I think it matters most of all.   

I think Sonora Smart Dodd had an excellent idea back in 1910.   I'm glad our country finally woke up and cooperated with her, and I wish to see that spirit renewed in America.  God gave us some very helpful advice when He wrote those word on stone tablets;  “ Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the earth.”  

I pray that every true father in America will be honored this year.  Thank you for being real men.  May God create more of you!   We are forever grateful for all you do.  Our future is in your hands.  We have not forgotten, though we do not say it often enough.    You are loved and respected.  We appreciate all you do as well as who you are.

Happy Father's Day!

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