Daddy Dearest

?I?m not a father? am I?? The words slowly preceded out of my husband Matt?s mouth and he stood with a confused look on his face. I had proudly handed Matt his very first Father?s Day card. He had just walked into my parent?s house after driving up from southern California, where we lived at the time. We were visiting them for Memorial Day weekend. I was so giddy I could hardly stand it!

I had taken a pregnancy test earlier in the day in the restroom of a local Mexican restaurant. My stunned mom couldn?t stand to wait the three minutes it took to get the results and began knocking on the door. ?Look, mom, its negative.? I sighed. ?Let?s look.? Mom replied. ?Andrea!? She screamed! ?It?s showing two lines-it?s POSITIVE!? My mouth dropped and I couldn?t believe it! ?I?m going to be a mom.? We embraced in the cramped bathroom and went to tell my dad, who was waiting with the food that had arrived at our table. I couldn?t eat. My stomach fluttered with excitement! ?Let?s stop at the store and get Matt a Father?s Day card.? I said to my parents. My thrilled mom smiled. ?Alright, let?s go.? To which my dad replied, ?Wait, we just got our food.? ?Pack it up!? Mom said. ?We?re going to buy a card for Matt.?

The truth was it was quite a shock for all of us. Matt and I had been married for six years. My mom still proudly carried a picture of our beautiful little girl Onyx, in her wallet. She was a purebred German shepherd and she had all the rights and privileges of family members. We?d always planned to have children. But three years turned to five years, and so on. Now it was official. We were going to be parents!

Our son Clay was born eight months later and that day forever changed our lives. It was no longer about us or our wants, but about Clay and his needs. When he whimpered, we jumped. Each day we fell more and more in love with him and our parenthood role. Three years later brought our second son, Jaden. As his arrival day neared, embarrassed at the thought, I whispered to Matt one night as we lay in bed. ?What if I don?t love our Jaden as much as I do Clay?? ?Honey, you will, you?ll see.? Matt reassuringly said. Jaden arrived and as he lay sleeping on my chest that first night together, my love for him was so deep I cried as I held him.

A year and a half later we lost a baby because of an ectopic pregnancy. Shattered by the loss, I begged God for another child. One day after 9/11, I found out I was pregnant. As our family mourned the loss of our baby, and the nation mourned the loss of its innocence, new life was beginning. Months passed and we were blessed with our son Landon. My mourning was turned to joy.

Having children has given us the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of how our heavenly Father loves us. There?s nothing Matt and I wouldn?t do to protect or provide for our boys. We rejoice over successes and hurt when they experience pain or sadness. There?s nothing they can do or say that will change our love for them.

Jesus referred to His Father as ?Abba?, which expresses a deep affection and is closely related to our term ?daddy.? Romans 8:39 says nothing ?can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.? Nothing! Nada! In this we can put our whole trust and foundation.

As a daddy Matt is keenly aware that his role as our boys? earthly father is to model our heavenly father and if he forgets this fact I?m quick to remind him. Our desire is that our boys would see God?s reflection in us each day. Sometimes, we fail miserably. But God in His faithfulness leads us lovingly back to our task at hand, reminding us we have no greater assignment in this season.

Dads be encouraged this day! Your role is pivotal in the heart of your children. When you are intentional about loving your kids, seeds of memories are stored in their minds. My dad took us camping, cliff diving, and canoeing down rivers. His efforts for quality time were often met with groans, complaints and arguments. But now that we?re grown, we look back at those times as such fun and adventure! We?re so thankful he took the time to make memories!

One of my favorite movies is Top Gun. The character Maverick is discouraged and thinking seriously about throwing in the towel and quitting his training at infamous Miramar. During a flying mission, he hesitates to
engage the enemy and pulls back, not having the confidence to continue. His partner pleas with him, ?engage, engage, engage!?

So?dad?s it?s your time to engage fully with your children. Give them the ?Triple T? they so desperately need: Time, tender touch and talk. As Pastor Steve Hopper says, ?The summer of 2010 will only come once. What memories will we make together during this time?? When you get discouraged, take a breath and remember you?re not alone. All dads get discouraged. Few children are naturally appreciative. But the positive moments you?re making DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE in their lives.

Engage with your kids dads! We?re so very thankful for you!

Andrea Sharp is the Founder of Apple of His Eye Ministries, and regularly speaks at women?s conferences and church retreats. Andrea has connected with hundreds of women, sharing her passion for the Lord while inspiring women to live peaceful, abundant lives. Visit http://www.appleofhiseyeministries.com/ or email Andrea at andrea@appleofhiseyeministries.com.

Source: http://www.womenfavor.com/home-and-family/fatherhood/daddy-dearest.html

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