Today we honor fathers. Some fathers were there all the time, through thick and thin. Some fathers were never there. Some died before their children had a chance to know them. Some spent the formative years of the children’s lives in prison. Some started other families and neglected their firstborn. Some were great providers, teachers, and caregivers. Some are living and some are dead. Some were fathers to those they adopted or to children who were not their own. Whichever category your father or fathers are in, I hope you took time today to honor them. Everyone living has their biological father’s DNA, so at the least we honor the DNA.
If you were loved and nurtured by your father honor him today. If you were abandoned, hurt, abused, or neglected by your father, forgive him today so that his brokenness in you can be healed. My father passed 22 years ago this month and I find that I am still learning from him and learning more about him posthumously. Today as I honor my father, I realize that my emphasis on discipline for success came to a great degree from the knowledge and wisdom I received from my father. Yet, I would not have been able to honor him, or gain from his wisdom, if I had not been able to forgive him for some of the pain caused by abuse.
One of the great challenges we all have is to sift what we received from our fathers so that we can allow the good to remain, learn from their mistakes and shortcomings, and discipline ourselves to become better because of them. So, no matter what kind of father you have or had, if you discipline yourself to see your father through clear eyes, you will see value which will lead to new levels of success in your life.
Happy Father’s Day!