Dia del Padre

Father's Day, or Dia del Padre in Spanish, has come upon us once again. God has not had in the plan for the life He has given me to be a parent. However, that doesn't stop me from wondering what it would be like.

I am not shy to the fact that I enjoy working with children, at least most of the time. When John was here last month it was fun having his boys around. With young children especially, you never know

Acting as a stroller

what to expect. That was made abundantly clear when the five of us went out to lunch at a local fast food chain. Upon getting his kid's meal, TJ promptly bumped his milk over dumping it down my leg and the side of my chair. While that was being cleaned up, Jeremiah grabbed a nearby sandwich and learned how gravity works on food.

In this life I've been given though, I would need to start with older children. During the lunch entertainment above the milk container was two inches from my hand, but I couldn't grab it to set it upright. When Jeremiah woke up screaming in the night, I couldn't hop out of bed and offer to help pace the floors. That's not to say that messes and waking up at night doesn't happen with school-age kids, but they can at least crawl up beside you in bed under their own power.

When I get to speak at grade schools, I love teaching the students about disabilities and how we can all serve God. I could easily see family devotion time and helping my kids learn about God, His creation, and how to live for Him. Family trips out to the tracks would also be a regular activity in the summer and model railroading in the summer.

Even without being a parent, I'm very thankful for the children God has allowed me to work with in different roles. It has been far more than I could raise and hopefully has a lasting influence. I am also thankful that I've been given a father who works very hard to keep funding for me and help me with so many physical needs.

No matter if you have a good or not so good relationship with your earthly father, always look to our Father in heaven. His love is so great for us that He sacrificed His son, Jesus, so that we don't have to take the punishment we deserve. His is the example all earthly parents need to demonstrate in love for the children they've been given.