In the days before anybody kept tabs on social distances, my wife and I crammed our family into a gymnasium with several hundred strangers just for fun. It was a Saturday, and volunteers from the University were hosting a “track meet” of sorts for children of all ages. Our kids like to run, we like our kids, it all made sense.

The Ones I Call My Own

Nora, being in the “3-year old and under” bracket ran first, while I ran alongside. I paid little attention to whether she ran faster or slower than the other kids, because that wasn’t the point. I just enjoyed my time with her. Not sure why, but I was proud of her. Something endearing about trotting next to your daughter while she does her best to keep up.      

It’s important for a child to recognize that their dad actually likes being their father

Ira was different. I didn’t need to run with him because he didn’t need the same kind of coaching. He already knows which direction to run, and he knows what it means to stay in his lane. Even still, I was there at every turn, cheering for him, reminding him to pace himself, just glad to be a part of this kid’s life. I like being a dad.

Enjoying Fatherhood

We’re told that God loves us as a father loves his own children, but, if you’re like me, that’s sometimes a difficult concept to grasp. I sure enjoy being my children’s father, but does God really like being mine? I’m well-versed enough to know that I’m His son, but I want to feel like it too. I think it’s important for a child to recognize that their dad actually likes being their father, not just theoretically or doctrinally, but experientially.

As a child of God, I treasure those moments where His love for me is unmistakable. That Saturday at the gym was one of those times, although the lesson didn’t start until after my kids had crossed the finish line.

The One I’d Never Met

We were on our way out when the middle-schoolers took to the track. Among them was a cocky young man who was ready to show the world just how fast he was. The gun snapped, and off he went like a cheetah. Half a lap later, he was well ahead of everyone else, including the pace-setter. There was no mistaking the youthful arrogance of this character, but having run a race or two myself, I knew what the future held for a guy like him. He was about to hit a wall he didn’t know existed, and somebody needed to be there to help him through it.

The boy was losing speed fast. The pace-setter easily regained the lead with the rest of the pack just behind. One by one, from the fastest to the slowest, every single contestant passed him by. Dead last, red in the face, and barely able to breath, he was physically beat and emotionally humiliated.

I noticed that his father had given full attention to his Smartphone, and it crushed me to imagine my own children in this kids track-shoes. All alone and already defeated, without a dad to trot next to them. Looking at him only made me think of my own son. It was heart-breaking. I simply couldn’t bear it, so I hustled to the edge of the track and walked alongside the boy I’d never met. “Don’t give up” I said, with the best fatherly tone I could muster, “Whatever you do, never give up”.  

Loved Like a Son

I watched him all the way around the last lap to make sure that he would finish the race. And when he did, I walked right out on to the track just to congratulate him. He lost the race by a mile, but I felt like he just won the Olympics. As strange as it was, I was proud of that kid. It was all I could do to stop myself from hugging him. For a moment, he became like a son to me. There’s no way to explain why I felt like I did about that boy, other than that I have kids of my own, and I was able to love him because I already love them.

Loved By Our Father

God’s love for us is easy to overlook. We’re so busy running around all the time trying to keep up with each other, we pay little attention to what’s right in front of us. But don’t miss it…

There’s a mysterious Father standing alongside the track you’re running on, who counts you as His own. For some strange reason, you’ve caught His attention, and He loves you, even though you might not feel like it. He’s shouting encouragement at you, even if you can’t hear it. He doesn’t care how well you do in relation to others, He just doesn’t want you to give up. His heart yearns to see you finish well, even if you come in dead last on the track. And when you cross that finish line, He’s going to be right there to congratulate you.  

There’s no other way to explain it than that He already has a Son of His own…and He loves that Boy. Always has, always will. When He looks at you, He thinks of Him, and that’s how His affections for us can be as strong as they are. Take it from me, God likes being a Dad.

Only some of you might be fathers, but all of us are children…loved by One who truly enjoys watching you run this race.  

Happy Father’s Day kids.