Exchanging Father Wounds For the Love of God the Father
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Genesis 39:20b-21 (NIV)
I walked into Walmart with a slight sense of dread. Father’s Day was right around the corner, and I needed to buy a card for my dad.
I wasn’t ready.
It should have been a simple task. Go to the store, select a card, buy it and leave, but this activity required several minutes of deliberation. Choosing a greeting that succinctly captured my sentiments was exhausting. How do you communicate “I love you” even though you are still processing hurt feelings? What can you say that is truthful yet respectful? How do you honor a father that wounded you?
Despite knowing that sending a card was the right thing to do, I struggled to do it for years. My difficulty picking a card was a reminder of my lingering and unhealed father wounds. As a result, I continued to cycle through feelings of sadness, frustration, and unforgiveness — never truly able to let go of the pain.
