To All You Dads Out There: "His Blood's for You!"
Forget about "This Bud's for You." There's power in The Blood. "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day." - John 6:53-55
Let's face it; men have taken a beating the last few decades. Chastised, marginalized and demoralized by over-zealous feminists, they are caught in the cultural cross-hairs of modern society. Men today reportedly feel their very nature—their masculinity—is under assault.
We women can pretend it ain't so, but it is.
We might argue that male/female relationships have long been out of balance and it's high time to even up the score. Oh, there have been gender abuses since the beginning of time, alright, but it works both ways. It's just that our innate and/or preferred weapons of choice tend to me more subtle (passive/aggressive manipulation, cattiness, pettiness), whereas men are, and have always been, more upfront and direct.
Don't get me wrong, ladies. I'm not saying a man's approach to life and relationships is better or worse than a woman's. It's just different than ours, and we need to respect those differences. More importantly, while some feminist grievances may indeed be justifiable, it is imperative to remember that men are not our enemy.
Quite the opposite. Among other things, men are called to father and help raise our children, be our life-partners, and provide strength and protection for the family. Many men out there are doing just that, and doing it magnificently. (Photo: http://garrisonphoto.org/sxc/)
So, as we celebrate Father's Day 2009, I'd like to take this opportunity to bless all the great dads out there; especially the ones who may not be getting the recognition they deserve from their family, their community, or their church. The faithful dads who, day-in and day-out, go to work to support their family. The dads who come home at the end of the day and interact with their children even though they may be exhausted, stressed, or discouraged. The dads who are divorced because of an errant spouse, who—though doing everything to make their marriage work—have ended up being a weekend dad. The broken, widowed dads who maintain a strong relationship with their children even though their wives—who may have facilitated those relationships—are gone.
May God bless you all abundantly, beyond all your hopes and dreams. May you share in the communion of saints as a beloved man of God; a partaker of both His suffering and His Glory.
And don't ever forget: His Blood's for you!
