I’m starting to sound like one of those sappy old people. However, sometimes it seems those times are so far off and then here they are. I write this as our youngest prepares to graduate from high school. Where did the time go? As a blended family, we have adult children, grandchildren, and a teenager. High School graduation is such a milestone. No more high school! Life will be so different for this 18-year-old venturing into college and work. As parents, we want to launch our children well. Each child is so different. Some have no clue where they are going or what they want to do, and have a difficult time getting launched. Others don’t seem to need as much push or direction. Maybe it’s internal motivation.

I so appreciate Dave who exemplifies what God has called fathers to do. Really it’s the father that pushes the child into life. The mother, by design is more nurturing and would probably coddle the child so that he/she would never leave home or be independent. Contrast the father. He is more patient with a child making mistakes (not too serious) but learning how to live in an adult world. It is Dave’s passion to prepare his children, to teach them skills they need. He wants to launch them well.

Just think of the ways mothers and fathers play with their children. Mothers are more likely to be more careful in their play. A dad will bounce a child higher, higher, higher—much to the horror of mom. A father is willing to risk, to push, to teach, to allow a child to have wings. Dads seem to worry less about mistakes and minor setbacks. He knows it’s all part of the learning, the growing, the preparing. God made fathers to prepare a child for life.

Fathers are lacking in our society. Real godly fathers. Many children have been raised truly without a father. So many fathers were not fathered themselves, so they have not learned or seen healthy fathering modeled. Unless there is good mentoring and these men want to learn from godly men, they pass on the sins of their fathers.

In the Washington, DC, area where we live our lifestyle is not conducive to good fathering. Our area is a bedroom community for Washington, DC, and so many workers spend ridiculous amounts of time commuting on the road. Having the emotional energy and bandwidth to connect with children is hard. These parents (fathers) are away from the home long periods of time.

Then there is the angry father with wounding of his own. Maybe there was excessive harshness or control or perfectionism placed on them as children. That is my story. Father wounds. The only perfect father we know is God the Father. How we all need an experience of the Father’s love! An encounter with the Father that we yearn for!

So back to Father’s Day. I want to give a shout out to my husband Dave, a godly man and father who has tirelessly poured into his children. His work is never done! Our adult children still need his sage advice and council from having years of life lessons under his belt. They do not realize how he agonizes in prayer for each of them (children, sons-in-laws, stepchildren, and grandchildren). We expect a harvest of righteousness to be produced in the lives of our children. We serve a God who is faithful. He has seen every tear and stored them in a bottle. And he has heard and will answer.

So in the meantime, the godly father presses on often times doing the unappreciated or even unpopular teaching or discipline. Teenagers do not have the life experience to understand dad’s wisdom or advice. But it is the father’s heart to teach, to prepare for life, and to launch well. What a beautiful thing it is, the father’s heart!

What is your story with your father? Good or bad, we’d love to hear it in the comments or in an email. And please share on social media if you think this would bless someone else.