GOLDWATER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ariz. -- Did you know that the rose is the designated birth flower for the month of June? Roses are the most popular flowers in the world. They symbolize love and appreciation.
For a moment imagine you’re a dad, and on Father’s Day you receive two dozen stems from roses with double the amount of thorns. You don’t have to be a florist to know, each thorn once served to protect its rose, but these untrimmed thorns make for an awful gift.
In retrospect, I believe most, if not all 12, of my siblings, would have given these stems to our dad as a symbolic gift if he were still alive. You see, they despised and viewed him as an absentee parent who lived well beneath his purpose. Amazingly, I absolutely adored my dad despite his flaws. How is it that children, within a core family, are able to perceive ethical values differently?
As a child, I always believed in a person’s potential for success in life instead of their shortcomings and setbacks. However, as an adult, I have learned that this gift from God validates what he sees in us all. “You, beloved, are the salt of the earth…the light of the world.” (Matt. 5:13-14). “…modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.” (Eph. 4:24).
We all have the ability to choose to be the best we can be, in order to make the greatest difference in our families, workplace, and the world. “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!” (Ps. 139:14a).
Happy Father’s Day!