DAD NEVER DIVORCED US

I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, especially my father William Lee Thomas, Sr.! My dad has been there for my brother BJ and me since DAY ONE! Although our parents divorced when we were young, Dad NEVER divorced us. He was committed wholeheartedly to being in our lives.

Unfortunately, at one point in my life, I took his love for granted. I had friends and relatives who didn’t know what it was like to have a strong male presence in their lives. However, here I was with a loving father who attended parent/teacher conferences, came to my track meets, helped me with my homework, and made sure my brother and I had everything we needed….and I took him for granted!

The Bible tells us to honor our fathers and mothers, but I wasn’t always doing that. In my young, immature, ignorant mind, I didn’t think I had to give my father the same level of respect as my mother because he wasn’t a regular church-goer or professed Christian. Wow! Just knowing I used to THINK that way makes me CRINGE!!!

Now, don’t get me wrong! My dad didn’t allow me to just say ANYTHING to him! Nevertheless, there were occasions when I would display behavior I KNEW my mother wouldn’t tolerate. And I thought it was perfectly okay. But man, was I wrong!

I remember the day the Holy Spirit checked me about my behavior. I was in high school and attending Power of Deliverance Church in Middletown, Ohio. One night at Bible study, the teacher quoted Ephesians 6:1-2, which say:

“1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise…”

As she was teaching, I felt like she was talking DIRECTLY to me. I knew I was guilty! As I sat in that church pew, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I had no excuse for not fully honoring my father. The scripture doesn’t say, “Honor thy father and mother if they are saved……if they are devout church goers……if they are perfect.” It SAYS honor thy father and mother…..PERIOD!

In that moment, I felt terrible, but I needed to feel terrible. I needed to be convicted so I could change. Here I was professing to be a Christian, but I wasn’t always displaying Christ-like behavior. Just because I was disappointed that my parents’ marriage had ended, didn’t give me the right to be disrespectful. My dad didn’t deserve my funky attitude!

DADDY STILL LOVED ME

What I learned that day is that, “No, my father isn’t perfect! But he’s perfect for ME!” Dad once told me that he sometimes allowed me to get away with certain behaviors because he knew I was coming from a place of hurt and disappointment. Although I sometimes rolled my eyes, talked back, or huffed and puffed, Daddy STILL loved me!

For Father’s Day last year, I decided to dedicate one of my blog posts entitled “Dear Daddy” to my Dad. This is what it says:

“Dear Daddy,

Happy Father’s Day! Instead of the average Hallmark Greeting Card from the ‘Mahogany Collection,’ this letter is written to show you MY appreciation.

From the moment I came into the world, you have always been there for me. You once told me that before I was born you were hoping for a boy —– which is probably what most fathers wish for —– someone to teach how to catch a ball, to shave, to fix cars, to date girls……….to be a man . However, you said that once you laid eyes on me, none of that even mattered. I was your first born, your baby girl, your Daughter-Child (your special name for me). I can even recall Mommy stating that you were sooo crazy about me!

How is LOVE defined? Is it an emotion or a simple word? Well, I’m inclined to agree with the saying that ‘LOVE is an ACTION word’! In the Bible, Psalms 103:13 states:

‘Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.’

A TRUE father has compassion or love for his children, and Daddy, you are the epitome of fatherly love! You have worked so hard all your adult life to insure that BJ and I had everything we needed. Because of your diligence and determination, we were both able to attend college and receive our degrees. You weren’t going to allow a lack of money to stop us from reaching our goals. In fact, I wanted to go to college because you instilled that desire in me at an early age. ‘I’m saving for your college education,’ is what you used to always tell me, even when I was only in the first grade.

Daddy, you were the first man to tell me that you love me. You loved me before I knew how to love myself. You were the first man to hug and kiss me with pure affection. You believed in me before I believed in myself. You called me beautiful when I thought I was ugly. You bought me my first gold necklace and my first pair of diamond earrings. You have always taking excellent care of me! Although I am now an adult, I know that there is nothing you wouldn’t do for me because your love is just that vast! You have shown me how a man should love and take care of me. Last, but not least, you gave me my good looks!!! After all, I am YOUR TWIN!!!!

I LOVE YOU DADDY! HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!!!

Sincerely,

Daughter-Child”

(The Kimberly Joy Show: A Special Father’s Day Tribute to My Dad)

YOU ARE APPRECIATED
Again, I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to ALL fathers. You are appreciated! Even if you feel like your own children don’t appreciate you, I’m telling you that you are appreciated. GOD appreciates you! GOD sees you! He sees your heart. He sees the love and commitment you have for your family. God sees how you care for even those children who are not biologically yours.

God sees your sweat. He sees how hard you work to make sure they are well taken care of.

God sees your tears. He sees those tears you do your best to hide from those around you.

God SEES you!

God APPRECIATES you!

God LOVES you!

So, I encourage you fathers to keep doing what you’re doing! Your work is not in vain! Just like me, in time, your children’s eyes will be opened, and they will gain a newfound appreciation, respect and love for you!

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