It is Father’s Day.  That doesn’t mean the journey stops.  It just has a focus within it.  I started I Kings today in my scripture reading having completed the Samuel’s yesterday.  Of course they go into the kings following David.  I Kings is primarily the closing out of David’s reign and then describing Solomon’s reign.  There is so much focus on what good leadership is like and what hinders and stops it from being good.  The surprising (but shouldn’t be surprising) thing is that man is not in control of his leadership like he thinks he is.  God is in control in the background.  When a good leader realizes this and submits to it, he then is in control in man’s eyes.  Part of a good leader’s responsibility is to keep the observing man aware that God is the ultimate one controlling the outcomes.  When we begin to think we are the ones in control is when we falter.

I’m starting a new step study for The Journey Begins today with lesson 1–Denial.  What is standing out to me in this lesson, even though I’ve done them 8 times, is Light.  Denial is darkness to the truth.  God is Light.  So when we step out of denial we are allowing the Light of Truth to penetrate the darkness of what we have wanted to keep hidden.  There aren’t too many things any longer I’m in denial about, but there are somethings I’ve been avoiding which I believe is the start of denial.  I’ve not known how to deal with them without conflict so I’ve kept them on a back burner.  Today, I’m challenged to look at them through the lens of God’s Light.  He showed me that I can use His Light to penetrate my avoidance.  I can simply step into them one day at a time, one moment at a time.  It is then I will begin to see what next steps ought to be taken.  That is so simple, yet until I allow God’s Light to permeate what I’ve kept hidden, I stay in avoidance and soon turn it into denial–saying something like, “Well, it just has to be that way.”  I don’t want to do that any longer.

Can you tell I’m avoiding Father’s Day?  It hurts somehow.  I’ve always endured it as a discipline.  When dad was alive I’d honor him out of obedience to God’s command.  It is God my Father that I truly honor today.  I also want to be an honorable dad and grandpa.  In fact yesterday I was taking two of my grandkids shopping for bikes.  I told them it seemed odd that it was almost Father’s Day and I was buying them gifts instead of vise versa.  The one said, “Isn’t Father’s Day about feeling good about what you are doing?”  Well, I was feeling really good getting the chance to see them so happy.  So, that took care of that question!