Fathers: Real, Fictional, & Heavenly
Fathers are so important, but what happens if someone doesn’t have that paternal figure, due to death or desertion? All kinds of fatherly back stories find their way into my novels from deceased one of Sarah Beth in Leaving Oxford to the terrible paternal background of Dylan Conner in Going Up South, to the wonderful country-talking and big-hearted father, Big Roy, in Blown Together. Father’s make such an impact, don’t they?
There can be a hole left in the life and the heart when a father is absent. Sarah Monzon opens up about where life and fiction meet, and how our heavenly Father steps in to fill our empty places. So here are some thoughts from Sarah:
Father God.
A name. A title. Heaven forbid, a cliché. We hear it so many times we don’t let the meaning sink into our daughters’ hearts…or maybe our own perception and experience with a father figure is one that leaves us feeling nauseous to think that God could be anything like that.
In our broken world, there are so many examples of fathers. The Hallmark Channel kind that hoists his precious daughter on his shoulders or pushes her on a swing, the one that protects her from the boys with less than honorable intentions—we aren’t all blessed growing up with a daddy like this. I know I wasn’t.
So where does that leave us and our relationship with our Father in heaven? For me, personally, God became more than a distant father. He became my daddy. I swear I heard his voice in some of my lowest growing up years whispering in my ear the truths that all good parents wish to bestow on their children, “You are precious. You are special. You are mine.” And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, I felt his safe and protective arms wrap around me in a time when I felt alone and afraid, as if he were flesh and bone and set me on his lap.
Did I still struggle with the physical absence of a male role in my life? I’ll be honest. The answer is yes. I’ve had to deal with issues, but I’ve never had to deal with them alone. My Father was always by my side.
Unfortunately for Summer Arnet in Finders Keepers, she not only grew up without a dad, but without the knowledge of her heavenly Father either. She lived with the ache of loss of something she’d never had, yearned for paternal love, and sought to fill the hole in unfulfilling ways. It wasn’t until the arrogant Trent Carrington’s mother…*clamps hand over her mouth* No spoilers!! Sorry about that. *wink* Let’s just say that she ultimately came to know a love deeper than she could ever imagine.
Whatever your own story, World’s Greatest Dad, none at all, or something in between…God loves you and calls you his precious child.
Thank you, Sarah, for the beautiful truths and opening up about your life and your novel Finders Keepers!
A Contemporary and Historical Christian Romance- Amazon
Sarah Monzon is a Navy chaplain’s wife and a stay at home mom to the two cutest littles in the world. Playing pretend all day with them isn’t enough, she spends the evenings after their heads hit the pillow to create her own imaginary characters. When she isn’t in the world of make believe, she can be found in a small desert town in central Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings.
Do you have a favorite father in fiction? Sarah’s giving away a signed copy of Finders Keepers to one our commenters! Leave a comment by Wednesday, Novemeber 23rd.
Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after. Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/
Great thoughts, thanks for sharing:) There is always something written on this blog that makes me think!! I do have a favourite fiction father- he is a hardworking, country man who acknowledged that he wasn’t perfect, but was always there for his kids. It is his son that the heroine meets, and is able to trust the hero more because she sees what his relationship with his dad is like. It is a lovely story:) I’ve read Finders Keepers and enjoyed it- waiting for the next book please…
Hi Sarah,
I met you in Nashville at ACFW and it’s great to see you here. I’ve been blessed with a great earthly father, and my husband has been a great father to our boys. TV has some good fathers but what I really like to see on TV is when an athlete wins a big victory and his kids run out to him.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful words about God our Father.
Welcome, Sarah! I’ve got Finders Keepers loaded on my Kindle and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
I’m blessed with a wonderful father who’s been my rock throughout my life. One of my favorite fictional fathers is Atticus Finch. Thanks for visiting!
This is such a wonderful, encouraging post! Thank you for sharing. I have good memories of my father. One of my favorites is sitting by his side while we listened to Billy Graham. My favorite father in fiction is Elsie Dinsmore’s father – although not at the start. This post makes me sing “He’s a Good, Good Father.”
My earthly father and step father both had good points and really, really bad points. After I found the Lord I had a wonderful heavenly father! He sent me a gentle caring man of God for a husband☺! Your book sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation. Thanks for writing!
Sounds like a great one!! Yes, Sarah’s written a wonderful story!
We try to give you good content & freebies, ha!
Thanks for sharing your views about fathers, especially about our heavenly One.
I don’t have a fictional favorite, but I’ve been blessed with a Hallmark kind of father and it is very easy to see a loving God from my own real experience. I do have many friends whose experience is nothing like mine that help me see my earthly and heavenly connections as a huge blessing.
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Sarah! Thanks for inviting her, Janet!
God blessed me with a loving and kind earthly father as well as a husband who’s been a great dad. Now I am incredibly blessed to watch my son and son-in-law be the best daddies EVER to their little girls. My heart is full.
My fictional characters rarely have this relationship, although a few have. I try to mix up backgrounds (etc) to explore love from a variety of angles.
I have had a dad/father in my life for 36 years. He passed away 3 years ago and I miss him everyday. But thanks to good memories the loss is easier to deal with. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I’m blessed to have a Hallmark Daddy, and I’m most thankful that he taught be about my Heavenly Father. There are many great (or fun, or ornery) dads to pick from in literature, but one of the first that came to mind is Father Tim from Jan Karon’s Mitford. He very unexpectedly gets thrown into fatherhood to a boy whose own father has failed him terribly, and demonstrates God’s love for him.
I love that, too, Jackie! It was great meeting Sarah and others at the ACFW Conference!
Oh, that’s a great one, JIll!
I saw Bill Graham with my parents, too, as a young girl! What a great memory! My daughter loved those Elsie Dinsmore books!! I love that song. Just heard it recently, and it blesses my heart every time.
I love that you found such a great guy! I hope you enjoy Sarah’s book!!
You were really blessed to have a good earthly father, Priscila! Yes, sadly, not everyone has that experience, so this might be a great book for them!
You’re welcome, Valerie! You, also, are very blessed! I bet you’re good to those girls, too!
Hi Colleen! I had a good father, too. I lost him four years ago, and it’s still hard to believe.
Hugs
You were blessed, Katy! Father Tim is a great one! I remember him taking in Dooley!
Love that image, Jackie! My kids aren’t old enough for team sports quite yet, but I’m looking forward to that.
Janet,
Thanks for sharing Sarah’s interview with us. I’ve had the pleasure of reading a couple books by her and she really is a wonderful author. We’ve connected by Facebook and find out we both live relatively close.
As for fathers, I was blessed to have a wonderful dad. He was the one who introduced me Jesus. Unfortunately, God wanted him home in heaven too soon for me. It’s been 27 years and I still miss him. He was the kind of dad who had a big heart and LOVED to laugh. He was a also a pastor who gave of his heart to the people in our church.
Those memories have carried me through many years. I married a wonderful man who loves our children, unfortunately, he was raised by a different kind of father, so it’s not been easy for him and the “warm cuddly” personality hasn’t been there. He language of love is acts of service and he’s a fantastic provider, that’s how he shows his love. Our children know this and see his love.
As for my father in law, as the years have gone by I’ve poured heaps of hugs and love on him and we’ve been able to see a softening of his heart. Our only desire is that his heart will open up to our Heavenly Father before too long.
Love Atticus. We need a few more of him around.
Loooooove that song!!
Praise God for amazing husbands!
That’s amazing that you had such a wonderful dad. ❤️
I love watching my husband be a daddy. Fills my heart.
So glad you have good memories to comfort you.
We’ll pray along with you too, Marilyn.
Marilyn,
My husband isn’t the warm cuddly either, but a good man doing what he’s comfortable with. I love that you are working so hard with your father-in-law. Saying a prayer with you!
This reminds me of a book study we did in college– Captivating by Staside Eldredge. I’m pretty sure there was some discussion about the difficulty of accepting God as father when the word father had a bad connotation. Fortunately, my experiences with my father, my father-in-law, and my husband have been positive. One of my favorite fictional fathers is Landon Baxter from
Karen Kingsbury’s books. He is a strong Christian, a supportive husband, and an involved father.
I loved the book Captivating! Oh and the Baxters had some wonderful father examples, too! I’m so glad you are blessed with good ones!
Thanks for the interview. I had a wonderful dad, but he died too young. I was an adult when he died, but I was only 24.
Hi Merrilee,
That is too young. My husband’s father died when my husband was in his twenties. I never got to meet him.
Glad yours was wonderful.
Blessings
I didn’t grow up with a good father. Mine was an alcoholic and abuser, my mom divorced him when I was a senior in high school. To say the least, I was an angry, bitter and resentful teen/young woman. So when I gave my heart to the Lord (in 1991 or so), I had a warped sense of what a Father was suppose to be. I saw Him as judgemental and ready to punish me for any mistake I made or just plain cruel or not caring about me. It took a lot of years and much healing to finally realize He was anything BUT this! My husband has been instrumental in that healing process, he’s not only loving towards me but he was the perfect father example to our two kids (now grown). And as a grandpa to an almost 3 year old grand-girl, he’s showing her the perfect male role model in her life as well….can we say he spoils her….lol! My husband is a great example of how and what a father (or dad) is suppose to be :-)
Now when I say Father for God, I know He’s a loving God, merciful and full of grace and loves me with an everlasting love!
What a wonderful post, Janet and Sarah! My father passed away 5 years ago, but he was such a wonderful father and such a great example to our family. My husband is also an awesome father and grandfather. My 2-year-old grandson always says, ” I want to go to Grandpa’s house,” not Grandma’s (like most of the other grandkids). LOL He loves his grandpa! It just melts my heart.
Hi Winnie! How sweet about your grandson. I bet he’s adorable!
Blessings
Trixi, I’m so sorry your father was like that. I imagine it did take a lot to heal. Sounds like you have a great husband! So thankful you have him and your heavenly Father now!
Blessings
My father had no interest in being my father. So even after my mom was killed before I was 2 he still didn’t want me. He did help my mom’s parents get custody of me so my step father didn’t get me but that is all he has ever done for me. I did have my grandfather as a male father figure but while he was there he wasn’t really active in my life much either. My religious life has been kind of up and down but even in my darkest moments I know God is there to catch me when I fall.
Atticus is my all-time favorite fictional hero. Knowing this, my husband (a great father, I must say), got tickets for us to travel to Monroeville, AL, last summer (home of Harper Lee) to see the town’s annual production of To Kill A Mockingbird. A highlight I will never forget. Sarah, welcome back to Inspy, and thanks for your wonderful words. :)
I think that’s normally true–hard to see God as a loving father if our earthly one isn’t. I’m so glad that wasn’t the case for me.
Cassandra, That is tough. Psalms 68:5-6 says “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling, God sets the lonely in families”
I hope that you will find a church family that will be there for you. My church sisters are there for me to listen and encourage. They are truly like family. I’m glad in those dark moments that you know God is indeed there.
Hugs and blessings
Thanks, Janet. He is adorable, but I might be a tad biased. LOL
Karen Kingbury’s Baxter series. I loved the dad. And he’s in her new Christmas book.
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Hi Gail! I loved him, too! I need to catch up on that series! I got way behind.
Blessings,
Mine is John Baxter from Karen Kingsbury ‘s Baxter series
He’s one of the best!
NO way!
Oh, that sounds great!