A Few Good Men

"Mommy, I wish nobody ever went to Hell." my six year old daughter said sadly as I cleaned the kitchen after our Father's Day celebration. Sofie's tenderness deeply touched my heart and I could see that she was truly grieved at the idea of anyone being eternally separated from God. "Jesus made a way Sofie," I reminded gently. "Because of what Christ did on the Cross, nobody HAS to go to Hell. All people can choose to be redeemed through His grace." "Yeah. He did a miracle!" she replied, as her eyes brightened and a smile spread across her innocent face.

My daughter trusts her Savior. One of the most powerful reasons for her belief in Christ's redemption is because of her Daddy. Loving, playful, gentle, and firm, Marty is the head of our home and the earthly example of Sofie's Heavenly Father. Through Marty's consistent and dependable love, Sofie has come to embrace the affection of her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Each of my children are blessed, for their Daddy is a good man. But, more than that, Marty is a Godly man. Daily he places himself before the LORD and prays for wisdom and strength to honor God in Fatherhood. With his priorities firmly rooted in Biblical truth, my husband understands that he is irreplaceable to his kids and that "his children are a gift from the LORD. They are a reward from Him." (Psalm 127:3 NLT)

Unfortunately, there are many who do not have such a Father. For some, Father's Day is a painful reminder of being abandoned, forgotten or unloved. Still others, emotionally splintered, fill the day with empty gestures of gratitude rooted in obligation. Then there are those like Sofie, fortunate to have a Father truly deserving of her honor. Unquestionably, there are still a few good men out there. Together with God, they are building a legacy secured in faith. Day by day. These Daddies invest their time, their efforts, and most of all their prayers into their children. For they know that "Unless the Lord builds a house,the work of the builders is wasted." (Psalm 127:1 NLT)

Like the Israelites who sang Psalms of Ascension as they traveled to Jerusalem for Feast, Godly fathers grasp that the journey with their children is to be savored and cherished. And along the way, they rejoice. For these wise men understand that a day will come when this long pilgrimage shall end.

This Father's Day, I am sad for the men who have chosen to abandon the post of Fatherhood. One day, those same men shall face their creator and answer for the selfish ways they misrepresented God to their hurting children. I am grateful for those Dads who nobly step into broken families and fill empty shoes of Fatherhood. Indeed, their sacrifices, will change the lives of the children to whom God has appointed them to serve in love. And I am grateful that there are still a few good men. Those God-fearing men who strive to be the arms of Christ to their fragile offspring. Though they tire, these men understand the commitment of Fatherhood. Truly, they recognize, that "children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!" (Psalm 127: 4-5NLT)

Most of all, I am grateful for our Heavenly Father, who changed my life with His grace. Because of His great sacrifice, allowing Christ to take my place, I know redemption as I rest in His grace. I praise Him for His radical love that changed my life and healed my brokenness. My heart is filled with awe as I continue to witness his restoration in my life. Daily, I praise Him daily, for he has blessed my life with a few good men.