Our Father's Day breakfast is one of those occasions when families intentionally pause to honour and spend time with their fathers. It is a wonderful tradition, and a reminder of how much those relationships matter. As I reflect on Father's Day, I find myself thinking not only about my own fathering journey but also about a change I've noticed as my children have grown older.
When they were young, I was at the centre of their world. Now that they have moved out, and with the busyness of life, weeks can pass without much contact. That's a normal part of growing up, but it does make me wonder: does God ever feel like a forgotten Father?
The Bible suggests he does. In Moses' song to Israel, he says:
You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot the God who gave you birth.
- Deut. 32:18
God's people had not stopped believing he existed. They had simply become distracted. They enjoyed his blessings while forgetting the One who had given them. Children caught up in their own lives.
I wonder whether we can do the same. We fill our days with work, family, entertainment, and countless other good things. Yet it is possible to become so busy enjoying God's gifts that we forget God himself.
And what gifts he has given us. He gives us our daily bread. He gave his one and only Son so that we might have eternal life. He gives us his Spirit, through whom we cry, "Abba, Father." He gives us his ear whenever we pray and invites us to bring every joy, worry, and burden before him. As James reminds us, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
This Father's Day, as we thank and celebrate our earthly fathers, perhaps it is also a good opportunity to remember our heavenly Father. The Father who created us, sustains us, listens to us, and through Jesus welcomes us into his family.
Why not take ten minutes to make a list of all the good things God has done for you? Then spend another five minutes working through that list and thanking God aloud for each one. It will be good for your soul. And perhaps it will also be good for your children to overhear a father or mother remembering and thanking their heavenly Father?