Americans celebrating Flag Day, remember freedoms; Honoring your father and mother

Good News for Today

Today is Flag Day, though not celebrated as a national holiday, it’s been a recongnized day since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, according to the Library of Congress.

To date, there have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars varied according to the flag-makers’ preferences until 1912, when President Taft standardized the then-new flag’s forty-eight stars into six rows of eight. The forty-nine-star flag (1959-60), as well as the fifty-star flag, also have standardized star patterns. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state on August 21, 1959.

The day was set aside by Congress as a day for patriotism – to give thanks for the freedoms Americans share.

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Father’s Day is coming this Sunday. In days past, children would try to outdo one another in supplying dad with another tie. Today, not so much, but fathers still long for appreciation and respect.

The Christian Standard Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. 4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” -- Ephesians 6:1-4 (CSB)

We’ll have a thought on this passage when we come back.

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Children can honor their parents – no matter how old they are even if they’re parents aren’t that honorable.

Honoring one’s parents means finding value in one’s parent and being grateful for them. Some have parents who are honorable and worthy of praise. Others have parents who did played very little role in their lives. Still, there is a reason to be grateful for fathers.

Perhaps we could all step back to think about the value of fatherhood and motherhood on society – it’s a role that is often taken for granted, minimalized and marginalized.

Children may be thankful for what their father does, but take for granted who he is.

Adults can look on the character of their father, reflect and say thanks.

This Father’s Day take a few moments to thank your father for what he did in your life – whether it is little or much. There will be a day when you can’t. Don’t miss the opportunity you have today.