Belovéd Siblings in Christ,
June 2012
Since the days Jesus walked this earth — God came to be known as Father. Why? Mainly because Jesus
himself referred to God as his heavenly Father. We know this from the scriptures, from the Gospels. Perhaps
the best-known reference is when Jesus prays from on the cross, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t
know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION ). God the Father sent Jesus the
Son to us: to reveal to us — to remind us — how incredibly much we are loved:
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that
no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go
to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.
He came to help, to put the world right again.
_ John 3:16–17 T HE M ESSAGE
Not every man who becomes a father will be able to love as God loves. Only God is God; only God can love
with such endless love. Hopefully, our lives will be blessed with those who — man or woman — will love
us with a love that hints at that divine selfless love. Last month, I shared the column which holds the most
special place in my heart, the one I wrote for MOTHERS DAY 2000. Here now I offer the companion column,
the one I wrote in June 2000 for FATHERS DAY :
e came into their lives when the boy was nine and the girl was eleven. The two children had never
called anyone “Dad” before. Since their birth father had died months before the boy was born, the
children’s father-figure had been their grandfather. Now this man came with four children of his
own. Would he want these two to call him “Dad?” Would he welcome them as his own, and thus create a
blended family?
Through the following years, he did just that. He was an excellent provider for all six children. They
always had what they needed, and even some of the things they just thought they needed. When shopping
for birthday and Christmas gifts, he carefully chose the items that would best suit the individual character
and personality of each child receiving the gift. When it came to homework, he could help with math
(numbers are his specialty). He knew the answers, but sometimes found it difficult to explain how he arrived
at the answers. If he could have snapped his fingers to put the explanation into words, he would have,
because words were hard for him. A man of deep feeling and emotions, he was seldom able to express his
feelings well, yet they were evident in the things he did.
He never played favorites with the children in his blended family, never turned down a request for help,
and never once said he was too busy to talk with or listen to one of his children. He encouraged their
independence, so they could “make it” on their own. And though he didn’t always agree with the choices
or decisions his children made, he did care. His children never, ever doubted that he cared.
He recognized and appreciated the unique gifts and talents of each child, and continues to do the same
in their adult years. His children are living in other parts of the country now, but they all stay in touch. They
call to let him know they are “making it” on their own; they want him to be proud of them, because after all,
he is their dad. He may be a man of few words, but sometimes, if he’s heard from one of his children, and
if you look real close, you just might catch him beaming with pride.
No, he never expected to take the place of their birth father, and he never expected to replace their
grandfather as a father-figure. But, for those two children — for my brother, Danny, and for me — he is the
only man we call Dad.
To all the fathers in our lives, be they biological fathers, adopted fathers, blended family fathers, second
dads, grandpas, uncles, brothers, cousins, or other men who encouraged us, and even the very special women
who have cared for us as a father would:
H
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.
May God bless each of you, as you have blessed us.
Rev. Wanda J. Kothlow