We have many special days throughout the year that we celebrate in our country and one of them is Father’s Day. Christmas, New Year, July 4th and a few others get much more attention but Father’s Day is very special to most everyone. This day was actually started by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, she proposed having a day to honor our father’s. Sonora Smart Dodd is the founder of Father’s Day. It is a day to remember and appreciate our fathers for their dedication and faithfulness at being a husband and father.
I have a special place in my heart for Father’s Day. It is a time for me to reflect on my own father who died in 1970 at the early age of 51. Too young to die. This fellow was a prince of a person. One who was respected and loved by very many people. He was faithful to his wife and family and worked hard all of his life to provide for us. My dad never made much money but, somehow, we always had what we needed for a good life. In the days of my youth, I remember some wonderful things about Frank Harrell, Jr.
It’s amazing how vividly one can remember the small things that their father did with them. There is something about one’s father spending some time with them. All the money in the world will not take the place of sitting in a fishing boat with your father, talking with him and reeling in some big South Georgia bass. Nothing like it. I remember specific events when I was fishing or hunting with my dad. Going to a certain pond or lake; fishing in a certain spot and catching a fish or shooting a dove in a particular field are examples of what I can remember. Certain specific shots I made while dove hunting will always be seared in my memory. Particular fish caught while fishing with my Dad will always be with me at a moments notice as I think on those days. Getting up at 4:30 a m to be in the dove field by daylight was special. Getting up; putting on those hunting clothes; lacing up one’s boots; getting your shotgun and shells and leaving before sunrise was always a great time for me. Why? Because my dad was doing the same thing and urging me to hurry up so we could get to the field before the sun came up. Doves come to the field early to feed and we wanted to be there when they came.
My dad was an excellent fisherman and dove hunter and because he taught me how to do those things, I have been pretty good at it also. There is some kind of special “bonding” that takes place when a father does things like that with his son or daughter as the case may be. I remember one funny thing that could have been serious but wasn’t, thank the Lord. My father took my brother, Bob, fishing with him one day. Bob was younger and not as adept at throwing a lure as he needed to be. Well, he threw a lure but he happened to snag my father on the forehead, just above his right eye. They had to leave the pond and go to the doctor’s office to have it removed. I will never forget how embarrassed my dad was sitting in the waiting room with a fishing lure stuck on his forehead. It was removed and no real damage was done. It turned out to be a funny talking point for years in our family.
My dad was a furniture dealer in Tifton, GA and every Wednesday we closed the store at 12:00. During dove season, several of the men who worked in the store would all go dove hunting. I looked forward to Wednesdays when we would all leave the store and meet up in a particular field. We had a wonderful time at the sport of dove hunting. Life was different in those days in a lot of ways.
It would be a lot better if father’s would spend more time with their kids today. There are too many things getting in the way for most people today. They don’t seem to have the time or take the time to be with their children like they should. Listen fathers: What your children learn from you as you send time with them and teach them things, will never be forgotten. They will remember every little detail for their entire life. Why is this so? It is because their father spent time with them and they learned things from him. That is by far the best way to shape your children. For boys especially, the experiences with their father have a profound effect on them. Just throwing a baseball in the back yard, building something in the shop, going to a ball game or just sitting and talking are all needful and profitable if one wants to build the life of a son or daughter in a strong, moral way.
Sadly, too many people turn their kids over to a video game or a television screen in order to entertain them and keep then occupied. Video games and other electronic games are being used as baby sitters for parents who find it easier than personal relationship time with their children. As a pastor of many years, I can tell you that one can spot those kids whose fathers spent time with them. They are more settled, mature and trustworthy than the general “electronically entertained” kids. Those who have been mentored by their fathers are grounded in a way which will produce a solid citizen with a Godly approach to life. You see, that’s the way God meant it to be. He tells us in His Word to teach our children the bible and Godly principles of life while they are young and developing. Fathers, you are the spiritual head of your family and it is your job to lead your family in a Godly way. Don’t let a school do it. Don’t let video games and television do it. They are not the ones God ordained to raise your children in the proper way. Every father should make sure that he is saved and right with God so that your children can be taught the proper things for living a life pleasing to Him.
So, on this Father’s Day, make the commitment to perform God’s task for you and teach your children the things of life in such a way that you will leave those impressions and memories which will make life what it should be. Love your kids. Tell them you love them. Spend time with them. Share your life with them. Teach them what is right and wrong. God will reward you and they will be greatly blessed.
