On Father’s Day, I’m always reminded that I had a great dad. He was a man of integrity who taught me a lot. He taught me about character and he taught me how to do stuff. When I was a kid, I didn’t really notice all the things my father taught. I just went alongside him and unwittingly learned. It wasn’t until later in life that I became aware that I had learned how he did things, how he handle himself, and how he made an indelible impact on my life. It’s hard for me to imagine growing up without my father.

Recently Deb and I had twin teenagers staying with us who needed shelter. We are signed up with an organization that steps into family crisis situations when they believe they can prevent children from being placed into the foster care system. They called us and asked if we would be willing to take 14-year-old twins, a boy, and a girl, for up to possibly 30 days. Their mother had gotten into some trouble and was thrown in jail. The organization felt they could help the family, therefore Child Protective Services, which is overwhelmed, was willing to let them try. Thus began a short time with two kids who had never had a dad in the picture.

I think about a minute is required in order for Deb and me to feel an attachment to any kids who come into our lives. Over the next couple of weeks, as we got to know this brother and sister better our feelings for them grew deeper. They are two young people with lots of needs as well as lots of potentials. In their case, I think I was able to see and understand the needs of the boy a little better. His number one need is a father figure.

As they began to open up, we discovered they have not had any relationship whatsoever with their father. In fact, they said they don’t even know his first name and assume his last name is the same as theirs. They think he lives somewhere in Iowa, but they’re not sure.

When they first arrived, they weren’t too excited about coming out of the bedrooms we had assigned to them. I don’t blame them. I don’t know how I’d respond if I was in their place. Fourteen and being tossed into a home with complete strangers? I don’t think I’d come out unless I had to. As the days went by, they became somewhat more interactive and I was able to hang out with the boy a little bit. The more time we had together, I more I heard, in his comments, his hunger for a dad.

One day as he walked past my workshop, he glanced in and then said to me, “I think I might like to learn how to use some of those tools someday.” That tells me he has an interest in “guy” stuff and is hungry for a father figure. On another day, I had to go to Home Depot and get something. As we walked in, he told me that he’d never been to a Home Depot before. As I was looking for something in the tool aisle, he began looking at each of the tools and then saying what he thought each one is used for. I’d love to have shown him all of them in action.

I was thinking of when our grandson, Kobe, entered our lives just a few years ago. He’d come over to our place and help me with some projects. I taught him to use some of my power tools. The first thing he learned was how to operate the cordless drill. Putting self-tapping screws in metal takes a little practice. He learned quickly and became a good assistant. Not long ago I had decided to take down a storage building I put up several years ago. I was trying to remember how old I was when I put it up because the roof looked a lot higher than it used to as I thought about climbing up to remove it. So one day when Kobe came over, I asked him if he’d remove the metal roof from the building. He grabbed one of the cordless drills, positioned the extension ladder, and zip, zip, zip, had the roof off in no time. That’s the kind of thing kids need to know how to do. It gives them the opportunity to be of real help and the feeling of accomplishment. It’s practical stuff like that I would have taught the boy who stayed with us if it would have been long-term.

The first day the twins were with us, Deb was setting up the boy’s room a little different than it had been arranged. She asked him to pick up the other end of a futon to help her move it. He said he didn’t think he could lift it. Deb told him if she could lift it, he could lift it. He reluctantly did his part. After two weeks with us, I was beginning to see a change in what he thought he could do. One afternoon, I had him ride along with me to pick up horse feed. When we arrived home, I told him if he wanted to help me, he could carry one of the bags down to the feeding station in the paddock. I said, “You don’t have to help. Only if you want to. Anyway, those bags are 50 pounds, I don’t really think you can lift one.” Wanting now to prove himself, instead of saying he couldn’t lift it, he quickly imitated me by picking up a bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He was beginning to do things he hadn’t done before.

As I said, this kid has a lot of potential. In fact, we found out he had been placed in “gifted” classes at his school. But then he and his sister and mother became homeless, and they missed a whole semester of school.

The last few days they were with us, decisions were being made as to where the twins would go. Would they be able to go to an uncle’s home in Jacksonville? Would their mother be released, so they could go with her? Would the three of them go live with the uncle? Would their mother find a place for all three of them? After just two weeks, the boy told Deb and me separately, that he wished they could stay with us. It’s at those times the heartstrings are being strummed.

Yeah, I’m thankful for the blessing of having a dad. I’m thankful for the blessings of being a dad. I feel for those who don’t or didn’t. Father’s Day must seem hollow to them.

I’m also thankful that regardless of our circumstances, we all have access to our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Our Heavenly Father cares about each one of us deeply. In our intimate relationship with Him, we don’t just call Him Father. We say, Daddy, Daddy (Galatians 4:6).

This whole experience with these twins makes me wonder how many kids are in desperate need of a father figure in their lives. If the opportunity arises let’s you and I try to bring some refreshment into their lives.