Honor Your Father!

June marks the month when fathers may look forward to being honored, just like the mothers before them in May. Not surprisingly, fathers owe the celebration of their special day to a woman, Ms. Smart, whose early life was marred by the tragedy of loosing her mother, yet whose father, William Smart, then a single parent to six young children, tirelessly raised the family on a rural farm in Washington state. The example he set so impacted young Ms. Smart throughout her life, that in 1909, supposedly after hearing a Mother's Day sermon, she pursued the idea of honoring fathers in earnest. Owing to her persistence, the first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, WA. 14 years later, President Calvin Coolidge expressed his support for the institution of an official Father's Day, Homemade gifts, but it was not until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson designated the 3rd Sunday in June as the day we have come to know as Father's Day.

The Bible itself admonishes us to honor our parents so that I may go well with us. (Ephesians 6:1-3) Yet, what exactly does this "honoring" entail? Is it something that dad earns, that is somehow accumulated and tallied?

No! Indeed it is a charge that we, as (grown) children, must take serious. It is our duty to honor dad and to express this honor to him on a daily basis. If we do so, and are consistent in our word and deed, we will find that we prepare our own children to honor us in kind. After all, if junior does not see us honoring dad, respecting him, and taking care of him, why would s/he feel compelled to treat us thusly? What would be junior's incentive? Who would be her/his role model?

Here are some hands-on, practical suggestions on how to honor dad all year, but especially this June:

• Encourage dad habitually. This could take the form of gifts, cards, phone calls, e-mails, outings, even flowers! Whenever possible, go the "homemade" route for an added personal touch.
• Diligently look for ways to serve the man who is a father to you. Continue to listen to his advice respectfully rather than ignoring his words, or taking them for granted.
• Last but not least, involve your children! Help them to understand how to honor a dad by leading them with an example, because if you do, the odds are rather good that you (if you are a dad) will one day soon be on the receiving end of such honor yourself!