The Perfect Dad
We all dream (or dreamed) for the perfect Dad. Men, women, boys and girls ... all have a deep need for a father. I can't speak for women too well but I see it in my wife. I see how even at 42, she still longs for her father. She needs her Dad to see her beauty, to marvel at her wonderful skills as a mother, to take her out for coffee and a talk, to take a real interest in her life and her kids - she needs a Daddy.

I see it in my daughters. There is something about a Daddy/daughter relationship that is very special. I am there and involved in my girl's lives. I am a presence in their lives. At a school play, church or at a basketball game, they will peer up into the crowd just to make sure Dad is there. Once we've made eye contact - they are fine. No need to look back again. Dad is there, just like always..."I can count on Dad. He is here for me."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect but I am around enough to see it. I see their need for a father.

I see it in the grown men around me (and especially in myself). We all long for our Dad. Someone to talk to about our life. Someone to listen as we recount our struggles in work, or with our wives, or with our kids. Someone to listen and say, "I know son, I know...".

We go off into the woods, the lake or to the golf course in search of Dad. Someone to show a geniune interest in us. Someone to show us how a gun works, how to call up a turkey, how to find the bass lurking in the lake, how to be patient to wait for the big buck. Someone to walk beside us down the dirt road into the pine forest or down the fairway with his arm around our back saying, "I am well-pleased with you." Men long for a father to call them and say, "I am thinking about this business opportunity and I want you to come into it with me."

It is a very basic human desire to long for a father. God installed that desire in us. All those things we long for in a humanly father are there for the taking with the Holy Father. No, He can't show you how to shoot a free-throw or load a bolt-action rifle but He can walk with you into the woods. He can commune with you. He will listen to your struggles and He will say, "I know son, I know." He will say, "In you, I am well-pleased."

We all long for a father and The Father waits with open arms.

Soar!