The older I get, the more troublesome Father's Day becomes for me. Probably because I now reflect on the combo platter of my biological father's failures, the loss of my grandfather who raised me, and the impact of my own fathering as my kids leave home. More often than not, I am met with sadness as I ruminate on my failures as a father. Wondering to myself, "Where did I go wrong?" and "What should have I done differently?"

But to reset my unhealthy rumination on these negative thoughts, I go to the one voice I need to hear. The voice of a perfect father. A father who loves and forgives entirely. A father's voice that is strong and considerate of me. A father, whose confidence in me, resounds with an echo across the canyon walls of time. A father whose statement infers he sees me differently than I see my self. A father who says, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”—Matthew 3:17

Gentlemen, this is the voice we long for and need to hear today. Regardless of your past failures, failures others perpetuate about you, or even the lies you believe about yourself.

DO THIS: Don't ruminate, be loved—by your spiritual Father.

PRAYER: God, today, I accept the fact that you love me. That first, I am a son before a father. And it is through and in this identity, I live out my relationship with you and others.