Fathers

Do you remember holding your newborn for the first time? What joy, what inexpressible pride fills your heart when we see that new life resting in your arms gazing up into your eyes. What great illusions we have of how intelligent this child will be, how this child will change the world.

As parents, we try to fulfill all our child's needs. This includes food, clothing, a home, education, security, activities that stimulate their lives and minds. As believers, we also bring our children to the Lord, where God adopts them as His children and puts faith into their hearts.

We have also seen a different phenomenon that occurs frequently in the DR - fathers raising children that are not their own. One example of this is Julio who is raising a child that is not his own. She doesn't know who her father is. Her mother is related to Julio but is no longer able to raise her daughter, so Julio has taken over that responsibility. This happens quite frequently here where people die young, or parents may lose their jobs and are unable to take of all their children, or sometimes the family is abandoned. Then other family members take over and nieces and nephews are received into other family homes. So many men are being fathers to children they have not fathered. They become fathers to them.

Julio not only provides for Angela's physical needs, he is also "training her up" in the Lord. She is receiving catechism classes and attending church services regularly. Julio tells us that Angela often cries because she feels abandoned, not knowing who is her father. He tries to comfort with the message of her heavenly Father who cares for her and loves her.

What a blessing to be born into a loving family, what greater blessing to be "brought into" a family. We have been brought into God's family, grafted in, and made His children. Thanks be to God for giving us earthly fathers that loved us and trained us in His ways. Thanks and thanks and thanksgiving be to our heavenly Father for choosing us before the creation of the world to be His children. Happy Father's Day.