Why Fathers Get Marching Orders on Father's Day but Mothers Get Praise on Mother's Day
Many jokes exist about how differently society treats Mother’s Day than it does Father’s Day. Even in the church, I remember someone pointing out years ago, moms get the Sunday morning message about how precious they are and how they pour out a plethora of love and devotion. A month later, dads get told how they’re dropping the ball and need to do better. 🤣 That definitely does seem to have been the trend, but it also goes to show how much our culture is groaning for men to be men, how needed they are.
Happy Father’s Day! I waited all the way until this second paragraph to wish fathers a Happy Father’s Day not because it’s not of utmost importance, but because I wanted to start out the gate conceding that Mother’s Day seems like a celebration, and Father’s Day, well, like a lecture. But even those marching orders are a form of honor. While today’s mindset is that there is no difference between men and women or that sex—being male or female—is fluid, the truth is that men have a different role within our world and thus, within our families. The world is in dire need of men who upon becoming fathers, honor their commitments and impact their world, which impacts the world.
My pastor’s message today highlighted that statistics show that a large percentage of men in prison never had a father in their lives or grew up in one-parent households. That’s not a coincidence. A father is called by God to instruct, cover, protect, provide, and give identity. When identity is never established or stripped, the results can be catastrophic.