Happy Father's Day! I am grateful for my father and Claudia's father and the righteous fathers before them who set an example of commitment to our Heavenly Father. I am grateful to be a father and grandfather and am grateful for our three sons who are fathers now and our four more who will become so. (Garry, David, Myron + Eric, Ryan, Holly's future husband, and Luke).
I find the role of fatherhood to be an honor beyond the ability of words to describe. However, in my scripture study this morning, I received a new glimpse into the grandeur of the fatherhood of God and his hope for us, his children. I feel prompted to share it with you.
Consider Paul's challenge to the Hebrews: "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews 12:9)
It is fitting and proper that we honor our fathers on this special day, but let's also focus our attention on Him who is Father of us all. Of all titles Elohim could ask us to call him, he chose "Father." Jesus loved and respected his Father. Acting under the his Father's direction, Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6:9)
Jesus also invited us, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
Please focus with me for a moment on the word, "Father," rather than the word "perfect" as we usually do. Jesus is extending an invitation for us to return home with him to the presence of our Father and become as our Father is, to experience the fullness of joy that he is experiencing.
It is as if our Father is saying,
"I am your father. You are my children. Your heavenly mother and I have given spiritual birth to each of you. We live in a state of infinite happiness and want more than anything else to have you join us here. We love you and want you to experience the eternal joy we have.
"Therefore, I have provided a way for you to learn how to overcome the world, gain eternal life and experience infinite joy with us. I have set the perfect example of how to live so you might come home. I invite you to follow this example.
"Please learn how to become good fathers and mothers yourselves. That will give you an understanding of my relationship with you. You will come to know the depth of our love for you and how much we want you to come back home.
"I have offered my only begotten son to you as a Savior. He has taught you how to become good fathers and mothers. He provided a way for you to be cleansed, sanctified and exalted. Please follow him home. He has shown you the way to become like me. Then, we can experience infinite joy, a state of perfectness and peace, together."
Later, after he had wrought the atonement and was resurrected, Jesus slightly changed his invitation: "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (3 Nephi 12:48)
Having completed his journey home, Jesus was saying "Come follow me back to Father. I have provided the way. I have set the example. Let's go back home."
May we forever strive to become, step by step, experience by experience, like our Father in Heaven. I know he lives. I know that he knows each of us by name. He knows our hearts. He knows what we must do to come home to him.
I pray that we might all become like him, and walk together into his presence for eternity.
Love,
Dad/Mark
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