If you were raised in the South, have listened to any Country music station, or eaten at a Cracker Barrel, you've probably heard these lyrics: "Let me tell you a secret about a Father's love, A secret that my Daddy said was just between us. He said Daddies don't just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, Amen." And if you know this song, you were probably singing it in your head just now. I love it too.
But the real reason why I love this song is because I resonate with it. I have the best Dad on the planet. His birthday is today, so I guess in some ways this post is a tribute to him, but ultimately it's about what a Father's love should be and looks like.
Here's the picture that inspired me to write about this subject to begin with:
There are so many things I could talk about when I look at this picture. It kind of makes me really sad because my Nana is no longer with us, but what this image conveys leaves a large imprint on my heart. The first thing I think about when referring to what a Father's love should be like is that it should be faithful. My Dad loved his mother for 56 years with an unfailing kind of love. He loved her as a child, He loved her as a teenager, He loved her as an adult, and He loved her as a grandparent. When my nana talked about my dad, she would always tell me that he never caused her any problems or that they never had to worry about him getting into any trouble. My dad was the youngest of six kids and was just good-natured. His love for her was faithful to the bitter end. Yet, this kind of love compelled him to show it in the little things. Often on the way home from a long day's work, he would stop in and check on his mom. He would make sure that she was doing okay, talk to her, visit with her, and then come home. He was just faithful to do that. He was faithful to be there for her when she needed him. He was faithful to be a good son.
This faithfulness as a Son merged into that of a Father when he became a Dad. I have witnessed this in the way that he loves me. As his daughter, my Dad has lovingly listened to me share what's on my heart, talked me through some tough situations, picked me up from school with a McDonald's smoothie ready, told me he loved me, let me cry on his shoulder, spanked my hind-end when I was in the wrong, and always believed in me. He showed me that He loved me by correcting me, He proved to me that He loved me by treating me the way every child should be treated, and He & I have always had a pretty great relationship because of it. My Dad has always been there for me & He always will be. I can count on Him to be faithful the way that my Nana could. My Dad is just really the best, and I love Him.
Moreover, my Dad is a really great picture of who God is and how He loves His children. You see, God is faithful in the little things, He hears the desires of every crevice of your heart, He listens, and He knows you through & through. He is faithful to show up and make sure you have what you need. He's the One that goes behind you and before you and knows what you have need of before you even discover it yourself. He's the Dad that checks to make sure you have gas in the morning when you leave for school or work. He's the man that you call when you are so frustrated about life circumstances and you need solid advice. He'll always patiently listen to your complaints and lovingly offer His opinion. He's the Dad that knows your ins and outs and tells you when you can do better. He truly wants the best for his child. He's the Dad that won't take "no" for an answer and appropriately corrects you when you fail to do what he has asked. He expects that his child put forth their best effort, and he holds them to his standard of excellence. He has set this standard by maintaining it himself first and prayerfully hopes that his child will do the same. He's Jesus Christ in the form of Thomas Brogle, and I get the privilege of calling him Dad. I would be lost without him, and he's the reason why I am the person I am today.
Additionally, my dad has set the best possible example for me to look up to, and he's always been "my person". When people ask me what a father should be or how a father should treat his children, my answer would be to look at Thomas Brogle and model his actions. He always puts others' needs before his own, He always ensures his kids are well taken care of, He always has time to talk, and He rarely ever complains about life. He's the last person to eat at family dinners...even at his own birthday party, and the first one to say thank you for the meal. He doesn't make a big fuss over anything. He's humble. He's godly. He's mild and meek, but you don't want to cross him. He does not let people take advantage of him or walk all over him. He treats people the way he would like to be treated, but most importantly He tries to do the right thing at all times. He's a hard worker and a very patient man. He's left some pretty big shoes for my future husband to fill, and my prayer is that whoever I marry will be able to wear them well because if he's anything like my Dad, I'll be set for life.
Now, at this point, I would like to pause because if you're reading this and you don't have this type of relationship with your Father because he's a dead-beat or was/is verbally, emotionally, & physically abusive, I'm truly sorry. I wish that all fathers in this world were like mine. I know that my dad is not perfect, but he has tried in a lot of ways that unfortunately many others haven't. It's really sad to see that men who should be stepping up to take care of their families are often stepping down or either stepping off the scene entirely.
Nevertheless, as bad as it is, and as terrible as the experiences that you might have had with your earthly father are, it still does not change the fact that there is a God in Heaven who willingly risked His only Son to die for you and who loves you tremendously so. There's a God in Heaven who wants you to know Him personally & intimately. There's a God in Heaven who wants to be the Dad that you never had, heal the hurt that you endured, and wipe away all tears from your eyes. There is a God in heaven who loves you enough to tell you the truth about yourself even when it hurts, who loves you enough to provide you with the things you may need or even want, and who is always there even when the people you thought you could count on left. He's real and He's a good one. And if you don't know Him, you're truly missing out because He has afforded you the best possible gift known to mankind: a lifelong relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ, and an eternity spent in Heaven alongside Him. He paid for your sin-debt when he nailed it to the cross. All you have to do is come to Him on His terms, turn from your sins, and ask God to forgive you. Apart from Christ there is no good and one cannot have a relationship with God the Father. Jesus is the only door to everlasting life. However, with Christ accompanies a sweet fellowship, an ability to love and be loved by your Creator in such an unexplainable manner that provides lifelong joy and true fulfillment. For his love is perfect.
If you know Christ personally, I hope you have a really good relationship with Him because He is a God who cares for His own.
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to those that ask him?" (KJV Matt 7:11)
"I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." (KJV Ps 81:10).
--Hailey Renee Brogle
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