I was asked to speak today on Fathers. Having respect for Fathers as well as our Heavenly Father. I would like to talk about another topic for just a bit and then come back to my original topic. Don’t worry Bishop, I think I know what I am doing here. First lets turn to a well know scripture in Matthew.
Matthew 22
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt alove the Lord thy God with all thy bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy cmind
38 This is the first and great acommandment
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt alove thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the alaw and the prophets.
In his conference address titled “The Love of God” given in the October 2009 President Dieter Uchtdorf said, “Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood.”
My question that I would like you to consider for the remainder of my talk is Why is love so important?
When I first was asked to give a talk on Father’s day, I was a bit nervous. I am not sure that I am worthy to speak on what I feel is such an important topic. All week I have worried about doing the subject justice. Not only do I want to give respect to our earthly fathers, but I want to give respect to our Heavenly Father as well. I do not have many stories to give of our earthly father as I cannot say that I have “that kind of father” with the amazing faith-building stories. I can say that I have an amazing husband and father of my children. One story with that is the very first time that I met him……
STORY ABOUT FIRST MEETING JIM!
He has not let me down on that first thought either. Mostly because every day I can see the love that he has for our children.
Upon researching for this talk, I came across the primary song titled FATHERS I would like to read the words for you now.
The Father of our home leads our Family
With wisdom’s light in all that’s right;
My father’s good to me.
The father of our ward tends with loving care
Each member’s needs with kindly deeds;
Our bishop’s always there.
And now we’ll sing great praise and reverently recall
The Holy One who gave his Son,
The Father of us all.
First, the FATHER OF OUR HOME. The song says that he leads our FAMILY. We have all heard the P’s associated with Fatherhood. Presiding, providing, priesthood, patriarch. These are all important and good words, but one about one very basic word….. LOVE!
Read story in What the Lord Requires of Fathers by Elder Robert L. Backman in September 1981 Ensign.
Ten thousand high school students in Kansas were asked what question they would ask their parents and want a straight answer on. Eighty percent replied: “Do you love me?”
The next most asked question: “If you had to do it all over again, would you have me?”
How vital it is for fathers to give their children a sense of personal worth, to let them know they are loved and needed. We need to love them unconditionally as the Savior loves us, using our time, energies, abilities, understanding, and concern to help them recognize their relationship to their loving Father in Heaven and their divine potential as his children.
Fathers, we need to express our love and approval for them. Too many of us are like the father of the little boy who cried: “You always tell me when you’re disappointed in me. Why don’t you ever tell me when you’re appointed in me?”
I said earlier that I do not have “that kind of father.” He was an alcoholic and struggled with a lot of things as I was growing up. Of all the things I am grateful for my father is that he tried really hard. He got himself clean, was baptized into the church, took my family to the temple when we were kids, and tried when I was young to instill a little bit of faith in me. He has since fallen away from the church and we have our issues on communication, but I am grateful to my earthly father for helping me with the basics so that I could grow into the testimony that I have today.
The second verse talked about another Father that we have here on this earth. He is the Father of our Ward. Our Bishop.
In the October 2003 Priesthood Session of conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley gave a talk in which he talked mostly to the Bishops of the church. He stated, “We have more than 18,000 bishops in the Church. Every one is a man who has been called by the spirit of prophecy and revelation and set apart and ordained by the laying on of hands. Every one of them holds the keys of the presidency of his ward. Each is a high priest, the presiding high priest of his ward. Each carries tremendous responsibilities of stewardship. Each stands as a FATHER to his people.”
Here are some of the words President Hinckley used to describe Bishops, “ Counselor, comforter, anchor and strength in times of sorry and trouble, strong with strength that comes from Lord, wise with wisdom that comes from the Lord, open door to hear the cries, strong back to carry the burdens, sensitive heart to judge needs, godly love broad enough and strong enough to encompass even the wrongdoer and the critic, man of patience, willing to listen, striving to understand.” These are some very powerful characteristics. But what I think they have in common is LOVE! How many of us have wonderful stories of Bishops who have LOVED us and cared for us. I can truly say that our bishop loves each one of us and I am grateful for the FATHER OF THIS WARD who leads us and LOVES each one of us.
Describe different bishops in my life. Bishop Beck, Murdock, Nielsen, Crump, Bullough, Steenblik, Smith, Finn.
The last part of that song talked about our Heavenly Father. The Father of us all! We are all children of our Father in Heaven. We were created in His image. Why do we love God? We find the answer in Ist John 4:19 We love him because he first loved us!
Look at all that He has given us. President Uchtdorf states in his conference address “Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend. Under his direction the Great Jehovah created this wondrous world we live in. God the Father watches over us, fills our hearts with breathtaking joy, and brightens our darkest hours with blessed peace” “He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fullness of joy. He has promised us ALL THAT HE HAS.”
Gods love for His children is no respecter of person’s. He does not look on outward appearances. Heavenly Father loves the disciple as much as he loves the sinner. He loves us all… His love is an infinite love that is pure and Holy. We are important to God, not because of the things we do, but because we are HIS children. I believe this statement can be true and should be true of the other 2 Father’s as well. Our bishops towards our Ward family and our earthly Father’s towards his children.
Elder Uchtdorf gave some very inspiring words when he said that “God the Eternal father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.
No, God does not need us to love Him…. But OH, how we need to Love God!
For what we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do.
What we think and do determines who we are – and who we will become.”
So yes, in talking about Father’s on this Father’s day, I have chosen to also speak on LOVE. I ask again, why is Love such a great commandment… Again, I turn to Elder Uchtdorf who says “When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on a new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden.”
The chorus of that Primary song I referred to early reads:
Fathers are so special with a very special love.
They watch us and protect us.
They guide us and direct us.
Back to our home above.
HAPPY FATHER's DAY to ALL the wonderful Fathers that I know and love.
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