Superhero Dad
- sekrigsman
- Jun 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Yesterday on my drive home, the radio announcer was asking for listeners to call in with stories of when their Dads had come to their rescue. What a great question!
The best Dads have that posture; a readiness to spring to action, to dive in and save the day in big and small ways. Of course, they’re usually the ones pushing us into situations where we might need to be rescued, too. Dads tend to throw us higher, swim with us deeper, push our bikes faster, and climb with us farther. Dads are fearless when they stretch us, and fearless when we need them.
It’s a big job, and it doesn’t end when your children have grown. A few years ago, I was taking on a house project while I was living alone, and I was only on step one before my Dad had booked a flight to come and help me. I think the phone call went something like this:
Me: I’m re-doing the bathroom floor. I have the room emptied and have started sanding.
Dad: Don’t do anything else, I’m on my way.
Me: Sounds good. *Drops sander*
In fact, as an adult, I may have needed my Dad more. Or differently. So it’s a good thing to have some extra Dads you can call on - perhaps a father-in-law to drive you to work in a snow storm, or pick you up when your car breaks down. Or a friend you can call when you have to work late and your actual Dad is waiting at the airport. Or your husband’s great-uncle, who knows who to call when the heat goes out on a winter evening.
All of them superheroes to me.
And then I married one, too! His job is only just beginning, but already he is earning his cape, saving our son from all the dangers in his toddler world. The farther our son ventures from his mother’s arms, the bigger his job gets!
It grieves me, but a good father is more and more difficult to find, and so many children are father-poor. Yet even the best fathers on earth might be superheroes, but they aren’t superhuman. The only place any of us can turn for the perfect father is to our Heavenly Father. Only He will truly be able to save us.
As I think about my dad, I suspect he has wanted to save me much more than I have let him. There have been so many times when my pride or desire for independence have set him on the sidelines. And I wonder if that’s true of my heavenly Abba, too- and how much more is He able to love and save me! After all, we never outgrow our need for Him. So maybe this Father’s Day, as I celebrate my Dad (all of them!), I can celebrate my Heavenly Father too. And I can ask Him to show me what I’ve been holding back. What am I missing when I push Him away? If I let Him loose from the sidelines, how will He show up for me? How will He show off His perfect love for His imperfect children? I suspect I’ll discover even a superhero can’t compare with Him!
And that’s a story I’d want to tell.
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