My Father’s Day Reflection

By Mark Arliss Cloma

As we go through Father’s Day fever, thinking about what remembrance we can do to our fathers, let us also visit and reflect about what the scriptures say about fathers.

I came upon Proverbs 13:24 which says, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly”.

This talks about discipline that fathers carried out to their children. To some, the qualification of remembrance is either how good or bad their father has been to them.

For me, I reflected on how my father would get mad and shout at me way back in my college years. Those times were very hard for me and sadly, it created hatred in me for a long time.

After those years of selfishness, thinking how irrational or wrong he was, I came to realize that there are also many beautiful things that he did to me. I recalled him carrying me home after I fell asleep during a visit at a friend’s house. He was my number one fan when I first played softball when I was in first year high school.

He even bought me spiked shoes for a town’s softball tournament when actually there was no tournament. He travelled one and a half hour to give us our allowance almost every week when my brother and I transferred to a city high school.

I remembered my father coming, surprising me with a brand new pair of football shoes after he saw me wearing my worn out and recycled old shoes in a secondary tournament. Once he requested my football coach to let me out of the game after he saw me limping at the start of first half thinking that I still could come back in the game.

There are so many things that he did that made me smile or laugh remembering them now. These things tell me that he is a good and loving father, and he just wanted to bring the best for and in me.

I also realized that the reasons he disciplined me was to bring me to my senses, making me do away with my laziness, or I perhaps I was already to much of a “pasaway” (mischievous).

The scripture above reflects God’s type of discipline He uses for His stubborn children. He disciplined Israel because they were doing things that were not pleasing to Him.

Many famous personalities in the Bible like David, Jonah, Samson, Moses and many others who disobeyed the Lord’s commands experienced God’s type of discipline. And after they realized their awful deeds and asked forgiveness, the Lord blessed them and prosper them.

This is also the same for us. God gave us fathers to love us.

We may think they are very hard on us but it’s a way of telling us they love us and they just want the best for us. For this Father’s Day, together let us ask forgiveness and make them feel appreciated and loved.

For me, a few years from now I will also become a father. I already have some ideas about running a family, about how to be a good husband to my wife and a good father to my children but, I will definitely make Papa my number one model.

To Rev. Marcos B. Cloma, I am sorry if I hated you before in my younger years!

I thank you because you are the reason I become the person like I am today. You may not always be here with me all the time, but you made me come closer to you with your prayers.

You may not be the greatest financial and material provider, but you provided me with lessons in life and an attitude of faith. You may not be among the list of greatest dads in this imperfect world, but I can proudly shout to the world that you are the greatest father to me. I love you!

Happy Fathers Day to all fathers!

ADMIN NOTE:

Pastor Mark Arliss Cloma is the 3rd of four children of Rev. Marcos B. Cloma. He finished theology in 2011. Presently, he is pastor of Malublub Baptist Church, Badiangan, Iloilo.

Rev. Marcos B. Cloma was pastor of several churches in Capiz and Mindanao areas for more than 40 years.