Celebrating Father's Day as a Single Dad

Okay, so I know the title may sound a little contradictory…why would we actually celebrate anything as a single parent?! I agree, because I know single parenting brings in brokenness of some form. There may have been the brokenness of a marriage or a relationship, the loss of a loved one, or in my case─ brokenness from having a child out of wedlock. (Any time we are outside of God’s statutes we are broken…FYI).

But, as followers of Jesus, we have both the ability and the responsibility to lay our hurts and faults at His feet so that He can begin the restoration process.

My daughter’s mom and I were never married, so I cannot say that I completely understand the emotional destruction a divorce or death of a loved one can bring; but I am engaged with single dads of divorce every week. Yes, there is a time to mourn and grieve, but God never expects us to wallow in our pain for the rest of our life either. Jesus didn’t die to simply release us from sin’s grip; but to RECONCILE us back to our original relationship with our Father!
Look at it this way: If you are involved in some capacity in your children’s physical and spiritual upbringing, then you are WAY ahead of a good portion of today’s dads! According to an article on usatoday.com, dads (including married ones) spend an average of about 1 hour a day with their kids. One advantage to single parenting is we usually get more undivided time with our kids than married parents often do. AND, when Dad attends church with his kids, the probability of the kids growing up to be church attenders themselves jumps from 2% if Dad doesn’t attend at all to 50-75% when he does! So to say that your presence doesn’t matter is completely false─ because single dad or not, you DO matter in your son’s or daughter’s life! Perhaps you are new to this whole single parent thing and this is your first Father’s Day in your new role. Please know that even then you are by no means exempt from God’s calling to raise your children in Christ and prepare them for adulthood! (We may just have to work a little harder at it, that’s all)

So go ahead and celebrate Father’s Day, Dad.

You deserve it. Just be sure to celebrate your Heavenly Father first…and then thank Him for the amazing gift of fatherhood!

As a single father, how will you celebrate God’s goodness in your life this Father’s Day?

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

Originally published at www.1Corinthians13Parenting.com on June 9, 2014