Dad

I consider myself to be one of the fortunate ones to have a kind and loving father. Growing up, I had a dad who was there.  He worked hard to provide for us and when he wasn’t working he took the time to be with us.

My dad has never been the overly affectionate type, but when I was a kid, the times when he held my hand or gave me horsey rides on his back were very special to me.

I have many wonderful memories with my dad but there’s one memory in particular that I cherish.  I don’t exactly recall how old I was at the time, but I remember going to bed not feeling well. I woke up at some point with a terrible earache.  I came out of my room and found my dad sitting on the couch watching TV.  

I was crying from the pain and when he asked me what was wrong I told him my ear hurt.  Dads usually don’t know what to do with sick kids, that’s mom’s job, right?  But instead of waking up my mom and passing me off on her, my dad picked me up and held me close for the longest time.  To this day, I’ll never forget the simultaneous feelings of pain and love.  Even though I was in a lot of pain, it didn’t matter for the love I was receiving.

We may not all have had the opportunity to have a loving father in our life, but the moment we accept Jesus, that all changes.  As children of God, we inherit the ultimate Father.  A Father who is always there for us, who loves us, takes care of us, fights for us and holds us close when life hurts.

And just like how my dad’s love overruled my pain as a child, our heavenly Father’s love overrules anything we bring to Him.  After all, He’s not just our Father in heaven…He’s our Dad.

Dina Pugh