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A Father’s Day Blessing! · Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation

• 0:10
  Pastor Robert Young: Hi friends, this is Pastor Young, and today we're taking a moment to reflect and to honor Father's Day.
• 0:18
  Pastor Robert Young: For some, this day is full of gratitude, for others, it's a little bit more complicated, and for many, it's a mix of both.
• 0:27
  Pastor Robert Young: Wherever you find yourself, know that you are welcome here.
• 0:32
  Pastor Robert Young: Father's Day is one of those days that touches something deep in all of us.
• 0:37
  Pastor Robert Young: Because fathers shape us with their presence, their absence, their love, their silence, their strength, even their struggle.
• 0:47
  Pastor Robert Young: Some of us grew up with a father who showed up, who tried, who loved us the best he could.
• 0:54
  Pastor Robert Young: Some of us grew up with a father who wasn't there, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
• 1:02
  Pastor Robert Young: Some of us lost our fathers too soon.
• 1:05
  Pastor Robert Young: Some of us are fathers trying to figure it out as we go.
• 1:10
  Pastor Robert Young: And some of us carry wounds we don't always have words for.
• 1:14
  Pastor Robert Young: So, before we go any further, I want to say this.
• 1:18
  Pastor Robert Young: Whatever your story is, God sees it, God honors it, and God meets you in it.
• 1:30
  Pastor Robert Young: When Jesus talked about God, he didn't reach for titles like ruler or judge or master.
• 1:38
  Pastor Robert Young: Even though all of those things are true, the word he used most often was Father.
• 1:45
  Pastor Robert Young: In John chapter 14, verse 9, Jesus said, If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
• 1:53
  Pastor Robert Young: If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
• 1:58
  Pastor Robert Young: Look at his compassion.
• 1:59
  Pastor Robert Young: Look at his patience, his strength, his tears.
• 2:03
  Pastor Robert Young: Look at his willingness to sit with the broken, to restore the ashamed, and to welcome the outsider.
• 2:10
  Pastor Robert Young: Jesus is the perfect picture of the Father's heart.
• 2:15
  Pastor Robert Young: And that matters because many of us learn to see God through the lens of our earthly Father.
• 2:23
  Pastor Robert Young: More times than not, if your father was distant, that's how you saw God.
• 2:28
  Pastor Robert Young: If your father was harsh, that's how you saw God.
• 2:33
  Pastor Robert Young: If your father was absent, then God felt absent also.
• 2:38
  Pastor Robert Young: But Jesus comes to rewrite that story.
• 2:41
  Pastor Robert Young: In the book of Psalms, chapter 68, verse 5, it says, A father to the fatherless, not metaphorically, not symbolically, but personally.
• 2:54
  Pastor Robert Young: God is the father who stays, the father who listens, the father who protects, the father who delights in his children, the father who runs toward the prodigal son, not away from him.
• 3:10
  Pastor Robert Young: Even if your earthly father couldn't be what you needed, your heavenly father is everything you longed for and more.
• 3:18
  Pastor Robert Young: And let me say that again.
• 3:21
  Pastor Robert Young: Even if your earthly father couldn't be what you needed, your heavenly father is everything that you long for and more.
• 3:33
  Pastor Robert Young: And to the fathers listening today, I want to honor you.
• 3:40
  Pastor Robert Young: Your kids don't need perfection, they need presence.
• 3:45
  Pastor Robert Young: They need humility, they need love that keeps showing up.
• 3:49
  Pastor Robert Young: In Psalms 103 verse 13, it says, As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
• 4:01
  Pastor Robert Young: Your compassion matters.
• 4:03
  Pastor Robert Young: Your effort matters.
• 4:05
  Pastor Robert Young: Your healing matters.
• 4:07
  Pastor Robert Young: Your growth matters.
• 4:09
  Pastor Robert Young: Every step you take toward emotional and spiritual health becomes a blessing that ripples through generations.
• 4:18
  Pastor Robert Young: Thank you for showing up.
• 4:19
  Pastor Robert Young: Thank you for trying.
• 4:21
  Pastor Robert Young: Thank you for loving your family in the ways you know how.
• 4:26
  Pastor Robert Young: For those carrying pain today, and for those who feel the ache today, the ache of loss or distance or disappointment, I want to speak this over you.
• 4:39
  Pastor Robert Young: Your story is not defined by what you didn't receive.
• 4:44
  Pastor Robert Young: Your identity is not shaped by someone else's absence.
• 4:49
  Pastor Robert Young: Your future is not limited by your past.
• 4:54
  Pastor Robert Young: Psalms chapter 34, verse 18 says, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
• 5:02
  Pastor Robert Young: God draws near to the place and places that hurt.
• 5:08
  Pastor Robert Young: He fills the gaps.
• 5:09
  Pastor Robert Young: He restores what was lost.
• 5:12
  Pastor Robert Young: He becomes the Father your soul has always needed.
• 5:18
  Pastor Robert Young: So let's take a breath.
• 5:21
  Pastor Robert Young: Breathe in.
• 5:24
  Pastor Robert Young: Now breathe out.
• 5:28
  Pastor Robert Young: Ask yourself gently, what is my relationship with Father's Day?
• 5:35
  Pastor Robert Young: What emotions surface for me?
• 5:38
  Pastor Robert Young: What do I need from God as Father today?
• 5:43
  Pastor Robert Young: What blessing can I speak over the Fathers in my life?
• 5:48
  Pastor Robert Young: And let whatever rises come without judgment.
• 5:57
  Pastor Robert Young: And finally, let me speak a blessing over you today.
• 6:01
  Pastor Robert Young: May you know the love of the Father who never leaves.
• 6:06
  Pastor Robert Young: May his compassion heal the wounds you carry.
• 6:11
  Pastor Robert Young: May his presence feel the empty places.
• 6:14
  Pastor Robert Young: May his strength steady you.
• 6:21
  Pastor Robert Young: May his voice speak identity over you.
• 6:24
  Pastor Robert Young: You are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.
• 6:30
  Pastor Robert Young: And to every father listening, may God give you wisdom, courage, tenderness, and rest.
• 6:39
  Pastor Robert Young: May He strengthen you where you feel weak.
• 6:42
  Pastor Robert Young: May He guide you where you feel unsure.
• 6:46
  Pastor Robert Young: And may His love flow through you to the next generation.
• 6:50
  Pastor Robert Young: Happy Father's Day, and may God bless you.