Recently we got a catalog in the mail. With Father's Day coming up, there were a lot of cool gifts for dads inside, but it wasn't really the gifts that stood out to me—it was what was on the cover. In bold print it read, “What Did Your Father Give You?” I thought this was interesting, because we normally think of Father's Day as a day to give our dads stuff. Inside the magazine, it announced a contest to send in a letter describing what your dad has done for you. I thought, What better gift could I give to my dad than appreciation?
Father's Day is all about appreciating dads, right? One of the gifts we can give to our dads, or our moms for that matter—sorry I didn't get around to writing a Mother's Day blog, but this can apply to moms too—is the gift of appreciation. And that gift can apply to any day of the year.
How about writing out what you appreciate about your PUs (parental units) and tell them what they have given to you and how they've invested in your life. For example, I would tell my dad I appreciate the way he listens to me when I have a problem, all the mini-golfing we did when I was little, our hereditary love for the Seahawks (we'll get 'em this year), etc. The important thing is that you let your dad know how much you appreciate him for the little and the big things.
Another thing to think about as you're showing appreciation to your dad is that many kids in the world don't have a father. UNICEF estimates that more than 132 million kids are orphaned. That's about twice the number of people who live in Texas, New York and California combined. As an extension of your love for your dad, maybe your family could consider sponsoring an orphan through an organization such as Compassion International. That would be a pretty cool gift—and you'd be living out what James calls true religion. He describes it as caring for orphans and widows in their time of need. (See James 1:25-27).
For some of you reading this blog, fatherlessness may be a reality. Maybe you've lost your dad or your parents have split up. That really stinks, and I wish it weren't so. I want to encourage you that there is a Father in heaven whom you can lean on. He's there for you.
If you want to e-mail a list of what you appreciate about your dad, or a cool Father's Day present you gave him, it may make it into the next blog. Be creative.
Thanks, brothers, for reading. Show someone you appreciate them today. 
