There’s one memory of my dad that sticks out more than any other. My dad was a hunter. He loved it so much that he took every chance he could get to get out into a stand. However, that love for hunting did not live on through his daughter.
Growing up, I always tended to get bored in the stand. Not only that, but for some reason whenever I went with my dad, we wouldn’t see anything. I never witnessed a kill for myself and as I got older, I actually preferred it to remain that way.
This picture pretty much sums up my dad: camping, camo, and coffee
However, one day, I had this determination to finally “knock one down” as Daddy would say. I was about 15 or 16 at the time and for the first time in my life, I saw multiple deer surround the corn feeder we had our sights on. Nothing to write home about, but something! So I picked up the rifle and aimed. Dad walked me through the process: what to look for, where to aim, when to pull the trigger. I looked at the deer through the scope, held my finger to the trigger, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull. I waited and waited for the right time, but I was uneasy about the whole thing. Finally, I set my rifle down and looked at Dad, expecting to feel some sense of disappointment from him.
“I’m sorry Dad, I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered, ready to hear him sigh in frustration.
But there was no frustration, no reprimanding, no “oh, come on Meghan!” No, he just looked at me, grabbed the rifle and responded, “that’s okay, let’s go back then”. And we walked back, laughing together about something I can’t quite remember at the moment.
It wasn’t until I lost my earthly father that I truly comprehended the impact a father has in the lives of his children. My provider, my comforter, my friend, my supporter, my teacher.
My father.
He was not perfect by any definition of the word, but boy, did He love me so much with the time we had together. As I think about yet another Father’s Day without my daddy, I can’t help but also think about how the role of father on earth reflects (or rather, is meant to reflect) God as Father.
How many times in our walk with God do we pick up our proverbial rifle and aim at our hypothetical target, only to shrink back and expect to receive his wrath in return? 1 Corinthians 13 states that “love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the Truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” And guess what? God IS love! He embodies all of these!
I imagined my dad looking at me with disappointment, only to see him meet me where I’m at and laugh with me as we walked back to our cabin together. I don’t know what your relationship with your father looks like, or even if you have a relationship with your dad, but I promise you, God is not only a father, but He is a PERFECT father.
He created you (Psalm 139:13-16), sees you (Genesis 16:13-14), knows you more intimately than any person ever can (1 Samuel 16:7), has seen your every mistake past, present, and future (Psalm 51:4), and He still declares, “You are my child” (Galatians 4:7). He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will provide everything that you need (Psalm 145:16). He is a guide and teacher (Psalm 23). He is love itself (1 John 4:16). He is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14).
And as wonderful and great as he is, He also calls Himself Father. Your father. He says that you are worthy of love and He is not ashamed of you, ever. Rather, He delights in you.
The last picture I took with my dad was at launch for my first trip with the World Race. His words to me at launch: “it’s gonna get hard, but I want you to keep going. See this thing through to the end.”
I pray each of you had a wonderful Father’s Day.
Love you all,
Meghan
