Father’s Day was coming, and the school halls were full of reminders.
Cards.
Posters.
Announcements.
Students talking about barbecues, gifts, and weekend plans.
Some were excited.
But not everyone.
Matthias sat at the lunch table with his friends, quietly turning his water bottle in his hands. His father had died almost five years ago. And even though Matthias loved God and believed in the hope of heaven, Father’s Day still hurt.
Some people thought grief should get easier every year. But Matthias had learned that grief does not always ask permission before it returns.
Kazim noticed Matthias looking down.
“You okay?” Kazim asked.
Matthias shrugged. “Father’s Day is coming.”
No one laughed. No one tried to change the subject.
Azzah closed her sketchbook gently. Kayden leaned forward. Brent stopped eating his chips.
Matthias took a breath. “My dad died almost five years ago. Sometimes I think I’m okay, and then a day like this comes, and it hurts all over again.”
Brent nodded. “Missing him doesn’t mean you don’t have faith.”
“It means you loved him,” Azzah said softly.
Across the table, another teen named Isaiah looked up. He had been quiet most of the day.
“My dad didn’t die,” Isaiah said. “But he left.”
Everyone looked at him gently.
Isaiah swallowed. “He went to war when I was little. When he came back, he wasn’t the same. My mom said he had PTSD. Loud noises scared him. He had nightmares. Sometimes he shook. Sometimes he cried when he thought nobody could hear.”
Matthias listened closely.
Isaiah continued, “One day, he left. I used to think he didn’t Love me. But later I found out he was afraid he might hurt us. He carried so much shame. He thought leaving would protect us.”
Kayden’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s heartbreaking.”
“It still hurts,” Isaiah said. “I still needed him. But I don’t think he left because he didn’t care. I think he left because he was broken and afraid.”
Matthias looked down at the table.
“That’s different than what people assume,” he said.
“Yeah,” Isaiah whispered. “Sometimes absence is not simple.”
At the end of the table, a girl named Naomi sat very still. She had not said a word. Azzah noticed her hands were trembling.
“You don’t have to talk,” Azzah said gently.
Naomi shook her head. “I want to.”
Everyone waited.
“My stepdad lives in our house,” Naomi said. “People at church say I should honor him on Father’s Day because he provides and because he is the man of the house.”
Her voice cracked.
“But he hurts my mom. And he hurts me with his words. Sometimes worse. Everyone sees him dressed nicely and smiling, but they don’t know what happens at home.”
The table became silent.
Naomi wiped her cheek quickly. “I hate Father’s Day because everyone expects me to act thankful. They tell me to make him a card. But how do you honor someone who makes your home unsafe?”
Matthias felt his chest tighten.
“You should not have to pretend abuse is Love,” he said.
Brent nodded firmly. “Being present in the house doesn’t mean someone is safe.”
Azzah added, “And honoring someone does not mean hiding what they are doing.”
Kayden reached for Naomi’s hand. “You deserve protection.”
Naomi looked down. “Sometimes I feel guilty because people quote the Bible at me.”
Matthias shook his head. “God’s Word never gives someone permission to abuse you. God is a Father to the fatherless, and He is also a defender of the vulnerable.”
Azzah opened her sketchbook and wrote:
Presence is not always Love. Absence is not always abandonment. God sees the whole story.
Then another teen, Elena, spoke from the next table. She had been listening quietly.
“My story is different too,” she said. “My biological father signed away his parental rights when I was little.”
Naomi looked at her. “That sounds painful.”
“It was,” Elena said. “For a long time, I thought it meant I wasn’t worth fighting for. But when I got older, I learned more. He wasn’t able to care for me. He knew my mom had married a good man who loved me and wanted to adopt me. So my biological father signed the papers because he believed it would give me a safer, more stable life.”
Isaiah nodded slowly. “So he let go of Love?”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears. “I think so. It still hurts sometimes. But I don’t think he threw me away. I think he gave up what he wanted so I could have what I needed.”
Matthias sat quietly, thinking about all the stories at the table.
His father had died.
Isaiah’s father had left after the war and shame.
Naomi’s stepfather stayed but caused harm.
Elena’s father signed away his rights out of Love.
Four different stories.
Four different wounds.
Four different ways Father’s Day could hurt.
Finally, Matthias said, “Maybe Father’s Day is not as simple as people make it.”
“No,” Azzah said. “It isn’t.”
Matthias looked around the table. “Some fathers are missed because they died. Some are grieved because they left. Some are feared because they stayed and were abused. Some made painful choices that only God fully understands.”
Brent leaned back. “So what do we do with a day like this?”
Matthias thought of what his Nana always said:
“Bring the truth to God. He can handle the whole story.”
So Matthias said, “Maybe we start by not forcing people to pretend. Maybe we make room for grief, anger, confusion, gratitude, and Love. Maybe we remember that only God knows every hidden motive, every wound, and every child’s tears.”
Naomi whispered, “And maybe we tell the truth when someone is unsafe.”
“Yes,” Matthias said. “Truth matters.”
Isaiah added, “And maybe we don’t judge every absent father the same.”
Elena nodded. “And maybe we honor sacrifice, even when it came through a painful goodbye.”
Azzah turned her sketchbook around. She had drawn a group of teens sitting together under a tree. Above them, light broke through the clouds. At the bottom of the page, she had written:
The Heavenly Father sees every kind of Father’s Day pain.
Matthias looked at the drawing and felt tears rise again.
He still missed his dad.
Isaiah still wondered what life would have been like if war had not changed his dad.
Naomi still needed safety and truth.
Elena still carried the ache of a father who let go.
But none of them were invisible to God.
Father’s Day did not have to be a day of pretending. It could be a day of bringing the whole truth to the Father who never abandons, never abuses, never lies, and never forgets His children.
And together, they prayed:
“Father God, meet us in the places where Father’s Day hurts.”
Reflection
Father’s Day can be joyful for some and painful for others. Some young people celebrate fathers who Love them well. Others grieve fathers who died. Some carry the ache of fathers who left. Some do not know the full story. Some were harmed by men who were supposed to protect them. Some were loved through a sacrifice that looked like letting go.
This is why we need compassion.
Absence is not always abandonment.
Presence is not always Love.
And God sees the whole story.
A father who leaves selfishly causes pain.
A father who stays and abuses causes pain.
A father who leaves because he is broken, ashamed, traumatized, or afraid may still leave pain behind, but the story may also carry sorrow and sacrifice.
A father who gives up his parental rights so his child can be safe and loved may carry a hidden grief only God understands.
We do not excuse harm.
We do not force children to honor abuse.
We do not shame grief.
We do not pretend all stories are the same.
We bring the truth to God.
God is a Father to the fatherless. He is close to the brokenhearted. He defends the vulnerable. He comforts those who mourn. He does not overlook the child who is grieving, confused, afraid, or unseen.
And one day, God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.
But until that day, Day’s Journey will be a refuge for those who hurt.
A place where youth can tell the truth.
A place where grief is not called weakness.
A place where abuse is not covered up.
A place where complicated stories are handled with mercy.
A place where every wounded heart is pointed back to the Heavenly Father who stays.
Scripture
“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”
— Psalm 68:5
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
— Matthew 5:4
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”
— Psalm 27:10
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
— Psalm 147:3
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
— Revelation 21:4
Prayer
Heavenly Father, please comfort every young person who struggles on Father’s Day.
Comfort those whose fathers died.
Comfort those whose fathers left.
Comfort those whose fathers came home from war carrying wounds no one could see.
Protect those whose homes are unsafe.
Comfort those who were adopted, released, surrendered, or raised by someone else.
Comfort those who do not know what to feel.
Lord, give wisdom to the youth who are confused. Protect those who are unsafe. Give courage to those who need to tell the truth. Give mercy to those who are grieving what they never received.
Help Day’s Journey be a refuge for the hurting, the lost, the grieving, and the unseen.
Teach us to honor what is honorable, tell the truth about what is harmful, and trust You with what only You fully understand.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer of Repentance
Father, forgive us for the times we have made Father’s Day painful by forcing people to pretend. Forgive us for honoring appearances more than truth. Forgive us for praising presence when that presence was harmful, and for judging absence when we did not know the whole story.
Forgive us for using Scripture carelessly in ways that silence the wounded instead of protecting them. Forgive us for overlooking children who are grieving, afraid, confused, or unseen.
Cleanse our hearts of bitterness, false judgment, denial, and pride. Teach us to walk in truth and Love. Teach us to protect the vulnerable. Teach us to comfort without minimizing pain.
Thank You for being the Father who never abandons, never abuses, never lies, and never forgets.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Works Cited / Scripture References
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Biblica, 2011.
Psalm 68:5 — God is described as Father to the fatherless and defender of widows.
Psalm 34:18 — The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Matthew 5:4 — Jesus promises comfort to those who mourn.
Psalm 27:10 — The Lord receives those who feel forsaken.
Psalm 147:3 — God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Revelation 21:4 — God promises the coming Day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.
OpenAI. ChatGPT. Youth devotional shaping, editing, Scripture reference support, and citation-formatting assistance for “When Father’s Day Is Not Simple.” 19 June 2026.