About Father's Day

Do you ever wonder how Father's Day got started?  It all started because a lady wanted to thank her father for all he had done for her and her family.

The first Father's Day in the United States was celebrated in Spokane Washington on June 19, 1910.  It was proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd in 1909.  Her father, William Smart raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. He was also a civil war veteran. 

It wasn't until 1966 that Father's Day was declared a national holiday in the U.S. and it wasn't until 1972 that the special day happened every year.

Father's are very special, so special that they are mentioned in the Bible.  Since the Bible is like an instruction manual for us, it gives us instructions on how to treat our father.

Do any of you know what the ten commandments are?  They were rules that God gave to Moses for all of us to follow.  Each commandment is very important and God gave each commandment for a reason.  One of the commandments says: Honor your father and you mother, so that all may go well for you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

What does honor mean anyway?  Honor can mean many things.  When we listen, obey, love, appreciate, and forgive our dad that is how we honor him.  That means when he asks you to do something you should do it right away without complaining.  

When you show you love your dad by hugging him and telling him that you love him that's another way to honor him.  You can also appreciate your dad by thanking him when he does things for you (driving you to soccer practice or music lessons, etc.).

Our dads won't be perfect all the time, we all make mistakes.  So we should forgive our dads when they make mistakes because God asks us too.

Some other verses in the Bible ask us to listen to our father's instruction and by doing this you will learn to have discipline and understanding.  That means that when your dad gives you advice or warns you about something its important to listen.  Your dad was a kid once too and know lots of stuff because they have lived longer than us.

So if your dad asks you to hold his hand when you cross the street its because he knows it can be dangerous because of all the cars.  It's also why sometimes dads have to say "no" to things.  If your parents always let you do everything you want you would never get any sleep and eat lots of candy, but our dads know that isn't healthy for you.

The last verse we're going to talk about today says: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.  I know that sometimes you don't always want to obey your parents but its important that you obey them because it makes God happy!  

One last thing.  No matter how old you get your dad is your dad.  Sometimes you might think that you can talk back to our parents or that you know more than them, but you don't.  The Bible says to obey your parents always, not just when your a kid.  Your parents want the best for you and know what they're talking about.

Don't forget that we also have a heavenly father that cares and loves us no matter what.  So if you don't have a father around all the time (or even if you do) God is the father of all fathers.  He is there when our father can't be.

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