Father's Day: Gratitude Vs
Ingratitude
By: Elias Bejjani*
June 17/12
"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!" (Lydia
M. Child, U.S. Author)
Hopefully, all men will have the blessed grace of being fathers. Being a father
is a heavenly endowment, a great satisfaction, and a fulfilling Godly obligation
as the Holy Bible teaches us: "Genesis 1:28 "God blessed them. God said to them,
“Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it."
Almighty God has blessed both parents, fathers and mothers and recommended that
they be honored, respected, cared for, and obeyed by their children. God's fifth
commandment delineates this heavenly obligation and duty: ""Honor your father
and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God
gives you." (Exodus 20:12 )
God is our Holy Father, and we all, men and women, are His beloved children.
Fathers on Earth are God's servants who are entrusted by Him to safeguard,
raise, embrace, support, provide and teach their children. Meanwhile fathers are
required to carry their holy duties in raising their children in the fear of
God, with the best of their knowledge, all their resource and means, full
devotion and with all required sacrifices.
Fathers are the cornerstone of their families upon which children depend, learn,
nurture, hold fast and shape their lives. Caring, devoted and righteous fathers
are always given a hand by God and blessed for their rearing and erection of
boundaries.
Today we are celebrating "Fathers' Day", with all those who cherish fathers,
appreciate their sacrifices and honor their Godly role. Best wishes to all
fathers hoping they will be shown today all the due gratitude from their sons
and daughters. On this very special day our deceased fathers' and mothers'
spirits are roaming around sharing with us our joy and happiness, God bless
their souls.
Attitudes of gratitude or ingratitude towards fathers on Fathers' Day, are very
sensitive issues that affect and touch the hearts and minds of many people.
These two contradicting attitudes exhibit how much a person is either
appreciative or ungrateful.
The majority of people hold on dear to their fathers and do all that they can to
always show them their great and deeply felt gratitude, while sadly there are
those odd ones out who show no gratitude, abandon them and even at times
endeavour to ruin their lives and inflict harm and pain on them.
By doing so and negating God's commandments that stress an utmost respect for
parents, these people make themselves enemies of Christ Himself. Definitely God
will be angry about such condemned conduct. This deviation from all human norms
occur because of ignorance, selfishness, lack of faith and hope. These people
fall into temptation, become proud of what they should be ashamed of, worship
things that belong to this world and forget all about "Judgment Day".
Colossians 3/20: "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases
the Lord".
Leviticus 20:9: "For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be
put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him"
Fathers no matter what must be loved, honored, dignified and respected. God
Himself is a Father and He will not bless those who deny their fathers' heavenly
right of fatherhood and respect. In this context, Billy Graham says: "A good
father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most
valuable assets in our society." The Holy Bible in tens of its verses warns and
puts on notice all those with callous hearts and numbed conscience who show no
gratitude to their fathers and break their hearts.
Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."
Even when fathers are abandoned by their children and denied their heavenly
rights, they never ever hold any grudges, feelings of hatred or hostility
against them. No matter what, fathers always wish their children health,
prosperity and success. One of our Lebanese deeply rooted sayings portray how
fathers constantly feel towards their ungrateful children: " My heart beats for
my son no matter what, while my son's heart is callous like a rock"
Many verses in the Holy Bible overtly
call on the children to treat their parents with love, endurance, affection and
utmost care. At the same time the Bible instructs parents to value the Godly
delegation to them to raise their children with all means of righteous,
protection and provision.
Proverbs 23/22: "Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise
your mother when she is old".
Ephesians 06/01-02: "Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents,
for this is the right thing to do. Respect your father and mother is the first
commandment that has a promise added: so that all may go well with you, and you
may live a long time in the land".
Many grown-up men and women do not appreciate their parents' sacrifices unless
they themselves have become parents. Back home in Lebanon where the family has
always been sacred, we have a saying that shows how important it is in the eyes
of the God that parents are always to be respected, honored and loved. "God will
not bless or facilitate the life of those who mistreat their parents and He will
reply to the parents' wrath when they ask for punishment for their ungrateful
children".
Good, loving , faithful and God-fearing fathers know no hatred, grudges or
despair. They remain, always, hopeful and keep on praying to Almighty God that
their children, (grateful or ungrateful ) are constantly healthy, prosperous,
happy, and successful .
Philippians 04/04-07: "May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I
say it again: rejoice! Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is
coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for
what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which
is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union
with Christ Jesus.".
Happy Fathers' Day to all Fathers.
Elias
Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email
phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites
http://www.10452lccc.com &
http://www.clhrf.com
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/
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