Guest Blog: John Bishop
I wrote my Dad a Father’s Day letter the other day. Here are some of the lines from that letter:
“I have a deep respect for you dad.”
“You taught me the value of hard work. You challenged me. You passed on a great appreciation for the irony of life. You put in hours upon hours of work so that I could have food, clothes, a place to live, security and comfort.”
“Whatever dividends are paid out as I spend my life will always be linked to the investment you made in me. Thank you Dad, happy Father’s Day.”
The purpose of the letter was to let my Dad know that all of his sacrifices have been noticed and appreciated by me.
Father’s day is just over a week away. My guess is your relationship to your Dad could use a fresh infusion of life. So rather than writing a bland vanilla note in a generic card that will serve as a nice gesture but will make very little impact I challenge you to honor your father this Father’s day.
Tell him how much you appreciate him. Highlight the things he’s done right. For those of you who feel that your Dad isn’t worthy of honor, I would challenge you to reconsider your stance in light of Matthew 15:4, “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and mother.’”
Pastor Furtick said in his sermon on James 3:1-12 on week four of Essential James back on April 5th that taming the tongue was about so much more then not saying bad stuff. “Instead,” he challenged, “Employ your tongue for a purpose that is useful!”
This Father’s day I challenge you to honor your father. Speak life into that relationship. If that relationship is broken perhaps your words will start a process of healing. Either way, it is a great opportunity to obey God’s command.
Whatever you do, don’t miss Father’s Day this year!