Writing Father’s Day, by Georgie Tennant

Father’s Day can be tricky and emotive for some. Writing about it sensitively is challenging. 

Forgive me for a slightly recycled post after a challenging week personally, but here are two attempts I’ve made in previous years to take the opportunity Father’s Day presents to celebrate the one perfect Father, whose love is limitless.

First, a poem turned into a video by my talented friend, Lois.

And secondly a piece I wrote for church one year:

Perhaps…

Perhaps, on Fathers’ Day, you feel excited, overwhelmed with gratitude
for the man placed in your life to defend and protect you, hold you and love you,
Pushing you to be all he knows you could be.
Perhaps you are looking forward, with eager anticipation, to celebrating him,
and hugging him, giving him your gift and thanking him for all he is.
There are many good fathers, who model God’s steadfast love in this unsettling world,
and for them we’re grateful.

Perhaps on Fathers’ Day, you feel the loss more acutely,
Of the man who used to be there, who defended and protected you,
held you and loved you, pushed you to be all he knew you could be,
Whom you would still love to see, to celebrate and hug
And give a gift, thanking him for all he was.
He was a good father who modelled God’s steadfast love in this unsettling world,
and for that you’re grateful –
but he’s not here now, and Fathers’ Day adds to your sense of loss.

Perhaps, on Fathers’ Day, feelings rise up that you hoped had gone away,
Of sadness and loss, for a man who called himself Father but
Did not hold you or love you, as he should have done,
Who didn’t ever give you a single reason to buy a gift or celebrate
All that a father should be - but wasn’t.
Perhaps you look at others celebrating and wonder
How and why and if it’s fair and if anyone cared for you at all,
To have entrusted to you a Father who was never truly a Daddy.

Perhaps, as Fathers’ Day approached, you stumbled past the shops,
trying to blank out the gushing messages in the cards,
because, you mourn the lack of Father for your own child,
and wonder how you’ll bridge the gap and make it on your own.
Perhaps it’s harder today than any other day, not to let the tears flow,
For a child you longed to Father, but was taken from you much too soon,
And Fathers’ Day is a difficult date
that only serves to rubber stamp your feelings
of disappointment and loss.

Perhaps the Father you think of today, has echoed and reflected the best of God;
and today you can smile and applaud him for pointing you towards Him.
Perhaps he did the complete opposite, misrepresenting God,
distorting his image into something you have struggled with ever since …
Perhaps today, some readjustment, some healing, needs to happen
To move you forward into a relationship with the only one
Who IS all we need in a Father…

Perhaps, on Fathers’ Day, we need to acknowledge, that, whatever our experience of earthly Fatherhood,
only God can truly fill the “Dad-shaped hole” in each of us.
Perhaps on Fathers’ Day, it’s time to see beyond the ripples and distortions
To allow the truth to seep in –
The truth we find in the Bible and see in the lives of others,
that God is a dependable, trustworthy Father.

Perhaps, this Fathers’ Day, you need to drink deeply of the knowledge
that He is intimate and involved in our lives, kind and compassionate,
Warm, affectionate, gentle and protective.
He is tender-hearted and forgiving and looks on us with love, 
Longing for us to draw near to Him, sit at His feet and be held.
Though sometimes we can’t comprehend the path he sets before us
And beat our fists on his chest in frustration and fear,
He works in all things for our good,
gives us good and perfect gifts and
“does not change like the shifting shadows,”
Whatever our earthly perspective might say.


On this Fathers’ Day, we’re the apple of His eye…
I am, and you are too – with all your hurts and fears and doubts,
bad experiences of fatherhood and disappointments,
or good experiences, delights and dreams.
He’s the only one that can heal the hurts of the past,
Love you beyond measure with an infinite love
and never give up on you or leave you alone again. 

On this Fathers’ Day, allow Him to take your hand,
 walk with him into tomorrow…
You won’t be disappointed with the perfect Father you find in Him.

How you  write about fatherhood or Father God in your writing?

Georgie Tennant is a secondary school English teacher in a Norfolk Comprehensive. She is married, with two sons, aged 14 and 12 who keep her exceptionally busy. She writes for the ACW ‘Christian Writer’ magazine occasionally, and is a contributor to the ACW-Published ‘New Life: Reflections for Lent,’ and ‘Merry Christmas, Everyone.' She has written 8 books in a phonics series, published by BookLife and is a freelance writer for King's Lynn Magazine. She writes the ‘Thought for the Week’ for the local newspaper from time to time and also muses about life and loss on her blog: www.somepoemsbygeorgie.blogspot.co.uk. Her first devotional book, "The God Who Sees You," has just been published by Kevin Mayhew.