World's Greatest Dad: More a Challenge Than a Description

As I write these words, we are barely over a day away from Father's Day. This day always conjures up a mixture of emotions within a community. Some grieve the loss of a dad, either to death, desertion, or estrangement. Others celebrate a wonderful--and continued--relationship with this special guy. I'm one of the fortunate ones in this regard. My dad remains with us, healthy, energetic, and one whom I deeply love. Since I'm a minister, I rarely have the opportunity to be with my dad on this special Sunday. Despite our geographical disconnect, I hold him close in my heart and soul.

On Father's Day, though, there is a deeper, inward mixture of emotions for me. These center around my own inward conflict. Through the years, my kids have given me a range of gifts and cards, often inscribed with something like "World's Best Dad" or "Greatest Dad." The most moving gifts on this day are the thoughtful notes from our kids when they just were learning to write. Riddled with misspelled words, and backward letters, these notes convey a sense of their naive, adolescent affection for dear old dad. I will always cherish them.

So, what's the nature of my conflict? It's the age-old internal battle between who you want to be and who you really are. I want to be the World's Greatest Dad for my kids, and appreciate their expressions to that end. I know, however, that I fall entirely too short of such an epithet. It's the very same struggle that Paul confessed--That which I would do, I do not, and that which I would not do, that is what I do! The answer to this frustrating cycle is not in trying to will ourselves to "do better." Strangley, such an approach does not free us from this downward spiral, but gives it even greater strength over us. We are caught in a vicious cycle of "vowing never to do again," and the numbing shame of stumbling into the same infraction. Paul's--and our--answer must center in Jesus Christ. Not in a system that bears His name, but in a dynamic relationship with the risen Lord that opens us up to His righteousness--and power. To be the World's Greatest Dad then, strangley, begins with admitting our human inability to perform this awesome task. Only in such humility can we point our kids to the only One Who can free them from themselves--our Father God. If I can at least point my kids in that direction, while "World's Greatest Dad" would remain entirely too optimistic an epithet for me, I will have done the most important thing a Father can do for his kids. Guys, I hope you will join me in that fatherly goal.