Happy Father’s Day, Mom:You Will Always Be My Hero

Repost from write up in CCF website for Train Your Children Sunday message.

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Today June 19, 2011 is Father’s Day. One day that honors all the fathers who have worked countless hours to be able to provide and more. But also, one day that magnifies how much my supermom is both a mother and a father to me.

Also today on Jose Rizal’s birthday, I would like to declare that my mom is my hero; she is my model in every way. My supermom is everything to me. She not only took the role of providing for me and my sister, but she was also hands on with us and taught us much. I can never think of a time that she wasn’t present in my life. Even if she worked 9 hours a day, she has mastered the art of juggling priorities – I always felt her presence. More than these, my mom has also taught me how to pray. I love to read and she used this passion of mine to teach me about God and moral character through Children’s Bible Stories and other reading materials. I was taught to talk to God, encouraged to tell him the desires and intentions of my heart.

I am very grateful for my mom and for her introducing God to me and likewise; however I could not deny that the absence of my father or having a father-figure was an obstacle in my spiritual life. My prayer couldn’t go past graces before meal time or the daily morning “thank you for another day to celebrate the miracle of life”. I couldn’t fully open up and have a deeper, fulfilling relationship because I did not know how to treat a father. Most especially when I felt no effort from the other end and had the feeling that I was not thought of, unimportant and unloved by the one person who should reflect God.

But truly, through the message I was reminded that if we have a father who can’t forgive you or does not like you, it does not mean that God is so. His outstretched arms signify otherwise, He does not love little. His love is so great and immeasurable that it overflows.

Praise God indeed He has His ways to always reach out to me; He spoke to my spiritual mentor in college for me to be able to confront this dilemma. I realized then that though my earthly father might be absent, my heavenly father is far much greater, His presence more than enough, He is the very constant in my life.

As I opened my heart to the service today, I could not help but appreciate my mom all the more on Father’s Day. Pastor Peter said, “A father is worth more than 100 teachers”. I believe so, and my mom who stood as a father to me was not only worth a hundred teachers but she is much much more.

Let me end with one conversation I had with my mom a week ago. I was sharing to her how blessed I was to have been able to hear the family series in CCF. I was telling her about having positive relationships and intentional teaching so she may also share these with her friends and new parents. I told her these are a tremendous help to me should I be blessed to have children someday or spiritual children no less. After sharing these, my mom’s question left a mark on me: Did I regret my past? How she raised me was quite different from what I learned recently.

It took me a while to answer her. Then I finally said, No Mom. I do not regret my past. I do not regret anything because everything brought me to this moment that I may be able to testify of God’s movement in my life for His greater glory. I wouldn’t want my history to be any other way.

Mom, I wouldn’t want any other parent to teach me about what I know. I still have a lot to learn from you. You are my best Teacher and my HERO. Mom, you are more than enough, never were you less. Mom, YOU are the greatest blessing. YOU are God’s best.