The Bible is clear, honoring your parents is a command.  As we step one day closer to Father’s Day there are many who not only struggle to honor their fathers, but actually refuse to.  What counsel do we offer to those who are living (understandably) in the bog of rebellion to this command of our Lord?  It is important to remember that Father’s Day is a difficult day for many who call themselves a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I’ve spent a lifetime struggling to forgive and keep forgiving my dad. I don’t think I felt the weight of it until I spent a week at home as an adult with my son, then 3 years old. As I heard him speak to my son the way he had always talked to me growing up, the weight of a lifetime of harsh words and hurtful disapproval came down on me. That’s when I really began to grieve the loss of the nourishing, encouraging dad I wanted. But more than grieving began that week. For years I suffered sleepless nights remembering the conversations and criticisms of the past, rehearsing the confrontation I hoped was somewhere in my future.

Our lives are not without the stress and strain of relational betrayal, a reality that can be extremely deep and brutally vicious.  Yet whatever your relationship with your father, I would encourage you to be reminded of what Samuel Rutherford said regarding difficulty in life:  “I accept being put in the cellars of suffering because the great King keeps His best wine there.”

With that being said, read the entire ARTICLE in order to get some insights in how to proceed if Father’s Day is more of a trial for you than a celebration.