Father's Day

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.
Malachi 4:6 NIV

Father's day always reminds me how I missed out on what a blessing having a dad can be growing up.  My dad left our family when I was 13 and really never looked back. There was a short interval where he had custody of my brother, sister and I out of necessity, but it really did not work out and his unchecked anger forced my brother and I to frequently run away. Eventually we chose to live with our mother in a homeless shelter.

It says something when you choose to be homeless over living with your dad.

I understand now that my dad was not equipped to deal with raising three children on his own and that he was dealing with a lot of bad boxes (temptation) of his own. He was raised in a situation where he was beaten and never learned a different way of handling his emotions. He did not have a relationship with God. It was a recipe for disaster. He did the right thing in letting us go.

But I still would have like to have some kind of contact, a relationship or closeness. As it stands, I know very little about his life and he knows very little about mine. That makes me sad in a way, but only because I lack that closeness on earth.

I praise God that I have him to fill the void. He is the Father I always dreamed of. He will always be there for me.

...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 NIV