A father’s love can be discussed in both the natural, and also in the spiritual. The spiritual part is easy to discuss because God loves us without any conditions and with a love that is so pure the Bible cannot even explain its true intensity. It is perfect in every way.

In the here and now is where it is difficult. I personally believe a child can forgive his/her father of all types of shortcomings except for love. You could have a scoundrel for a daddy, but if he loved you, there is the ability to move past his actions. A child needs to know that their father loves them. That simple. If you are reading this blog post, I hope that you have great memories of your father and great moments that will stand the test of time.

I have seen many adults that cannot seem to move on in life because they are trying to achieve something they will never accomplish. Having their father’s love. In my life, I have had a lot of great examples to follow as well as some bad ones. Everyone gets to choose the paths of their life, and what they want to be remembered for. I have some family members that will be remembered for good and then others that will be remembered for bad.

I can tell you that when my children were born, I knew exactly what I wanted for their life and the kind of father I wanted to be. I had many examples in my family as well as outside my family to know which I wanted to emulate. My daughters would know without question that I loved them and would die for them. They would know there was no holding back, no mystery, no reservations, and no questions. I choose to give my daughters an upright, transparent, and pure father’s love.

Many people struggle later in life because they either cannot forgive or they cannot forget their childhood. If you had a bad example of a father, literally the only way forward is to forgive him. Yes, actually say the words out loud by yourself, “I forgive you.” Then, take an inventory of all you are blessed with and made a decision. That’s correct, make a decision. Make the decision that the bonds of your past childhood will no longer tear at your heart and that you choose to literally walk away from your past; choose to walk into the life you want for your children. So many times people emulate what they see in their parents and that causes another generation to be no better that the last. Choose to be the generation of change for your family.

It is a funny thing, but the Bible says that love never fails. You know what? It is true. When you act in love, even though you may not want to, you will never have to look over your shoulder at something you said or did in the past. Acting in love is one of the most heart-healing things you can do.

So in summary, your childhood does not define you unless you want it to. You get to choose to make your children’s childhood great, and you get to choose to break the generational patterns in your family. KT