Yearning for a dad …

When we experience life in some way that God did not intend, with the result being that something important is missing, that’s called a “deficit.” Deficits are holes and wounds in our lives that we need to seek the Lord for His healing so that we can overcome the deficit in our life.

Growing up without a dad is a deficit.

Many children have grown up without a father in the home, or present in the life, and that deficit creates a yearning for dad. Kind of like this old story from Bits & Pieces:

There’s a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.

In spite of some of the messages promulgated in our culture, dads matter. So many of us grew up yearning for just a little time with dad. Silas Shotwell related that truth in a story from his book, “Homemade”:

Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: “Went fishing with my son today — a day wasted.”

His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: “Went fishing with my father — the most wonderful day of my life!”

The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but his son saw it as an investment of time. The only way to tell the difference between wasting and investing is to know one’s ultimate purpose in life and to judge accordingly.

Father’s Day is a day I usually skip because I’m one of those many who grew up with a dad, but he wasn’t a good man. Not once did he ever play a game or toss a ball with me; never did he teach me anything. He was so mean I don’t remember a day from my childhood not being terrified of him. Fortunately, on Father’s Day I get to read across social media sites of the many, many people who had wonderful loving fathers who made time for their families.

Let me close by suggesting such wonderful men can positively impact the lives of children who don’t have a dad. Years ago, The Standard, which is published by the Baptist General Conference, suggested 12 different ways that men can impact fatherless kids. If the idea seems interesting to you, then perhaps one of the following ideas would be a way you can invest in the lives of fatherless kids yearning for a dad:

1. Be a mentor to a boy without a father through Big Brother or some other agency.
2. Contact your local junior or senior high school to tutor a needy kid.
3. Teach Sunday School.
4. Become a leader in Awana, Pioneer Clubs, or Adventure Club.
5. Meet one-on-one weekly, with a boy in your church or neighborhood who doesn’t have a father in the home.
6. Become a leader in a scouting program.
7. Coach Little League or some other sport.
8. Volunteer to work with needy kids in an inner city ministry.
9. Hire a potentially “at risk” kid for yard work or in your business.
10. Become active youth leaders in your local church or a parachurch organization.
11. Start a church-based sports league that reaches out to needy kids in the community.
12. Lead a Bible study in a juvenile detention center or group home.

There are many other ways men can invest some time in the lives of children experiencing the deficit of not having a father at home. Today, we want to honor all those men who are father’s, and say THANK YOU for the love and time you give to your family and others.

Scotty