Fatherhood

I was newly pregnant and very hormonal when Matt leaned over to me in the middle of a church service and said, "I hope that our baby is a little girl, because I want to be the daddy to her that you never had."

In that moment, every emotion in my body tried to punch its way out of my body at the same time. It was powerful and memorable.

We have never had that little girl we thought we would.

But on this Father's Day weekend, if there was one thing I could say to my husband, it would be:

He has been that daddy to our boys.

He is present.

I asked Finn today what is his favorite thing about his daddy. He said, "I love that he wrestles and plays and swims and flies a kite with me. And that he lets me go to church with him at rest time sometimes."

It is Matt's presence that matters to his son(s).

In all of my experiences with fathers, I realize more and more that so much of fatherhood is presentness.

And not simply being in the same room. But being present with one's presence.

I could sit in the same room with someone for 5 hours, staring at a tv, and not feel like I matter at all.
But give me 10 minutes of invested conversation, and my value goes through the roof.

I have been reading in Exodus lately. At the beginning of chapter 26, God outlines the blessings that he longs to give to His people (vv. 3-13).

In these verses, God promises immense blessings if His people obey Him.
He promises fertility in the land (vv. 4-5, 10)
He promises living in safety in the land (v. 5)
He promises removal of dangerous animals and of the sword (v. 6)
He promises victory (v.7)
He promises His favor (v. 9)

When I was reading this the other day, I caught a glimpse of God's Father heart towards us.

The essence of these verses show the role a father ideally plays for his children: provision, peace, and protection.

Lastly, and most beautifully, God promises His presence: "I will place My residence among you, and I will not reject you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people." (v 11-12).

God's ultimate promise to bless us was His Presence.

This leads me to believe that God's plan for earthly fathers is to provide their children with the same:
Provision. Peace. Protection. Presence.

Fatherhood at its fullest:
- teaches
- leads
- disciplines
- invests
- asks questions
- notices what is unsaid
- provides
- brings peace
- protects
- SHOWS UP DOG TIRED AND SELFISHLY WANTING TO REST BUT POURS FORTH THE LAST BIT OF WHAT HE HAS SO THAT HIS CHILD KNOWS THEY ARE LOVED, VALUED, AND TREASURED.

Simply being present with one's presence makes all the difference, however much of it one have to give.

Fatherhood is presentness.