As a father, I
wonder if I and all other fathers could do more to build a sweeter, stronger
relationship with our sons and daughters here on earth. Dads, is it too bold to hope that our children might have some small
portion of the feeling for us that the Divine Son felt for His Father? Might we
earn more of that love by trying to be more of what God was to His child? In
any case, we do know that a young person’s developing concept of God centers on
characteristics observed in that child’s earthly parents.
I don’t know who
wrote these little storybook verses remembered from my youth, but they go
something like this:
Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Toiling and striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come home and to hear his voice.
Only a dad, but he gives his all,
Smoothing the way for his children small,
Doing with courage so stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
These are the lines that for him I pen,
Only a dad—but the best of men.
And, brethren, even
when we are not “the best of men,” even
in our limitations and inadequacy, we can keep making our way in the right
direction because of the encouraging teachings set forth by a Divine Father and
demonstrated by a Divine Son. With a Heavenly Father’s help we can leave more
of a parental legacy than we suppose.
The Hands of the Fathers - Jeffery R Holland April 1999 GC
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