06/20/2026
Some fathers spend Father’s Day holding their children. Others spend it holding their memories.
As Father’s Day approaches, my heart is with the fathers who carry their babies in their hearts instead of in their arms.
The dads who stood beside hospital beds and prayed for miracles.
The dads who kissed their baby’s forehead goodbye.
The dads who held their child when they took their last breath.
The dads who walked out of the hospital carrying a memory box instead of a car seat.
The dads who quietly broke down in the shower because it was the only place they felt safe to cry.
We often talk about grieving mothers, and rightly so. But too often, grieving fathers are forgotten.
Society teaches men to be strong. To hold it together. To protect everyone around them. To be the rock when everything is falling apart.
But grief doesn’t care how strong you are.
The strongest men I know are the ones who have loved deeply enough to have their hearts shattered.
The dads who get up every day and go to work carrying a pain most people can’t see.
The dads who continue showing up for their families while silently missing the child who should be there too.
The dads who still imagine what their baby’s laugh would sound like. What their first words would have been. What life would look like if they were still here.
To every father grieving a baby:
I see you.
Your grief matters.
Your tears matter.
Your baby matters.
You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. You don’t have to carry this weight alone. Missing your child does not make you weak. It makes you a father who loves deeply.
And God sees every tear you’ve cried, even the ones nobody else knows about.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray for all the dads carrying the weight of child loss. The fathers who are hurting in silence, the ones trying to stay strong for everyone around them while their own hearts are breaking.
Lord, wrap them in Your comfort and remind them that they do not have to carry this burden alone. Give them the courage to grieve, the strength to keep going, and the peace that only You can provide.
When the days feel heavy and the silence feels overwhelming, remind them that You are near to the brokenhearted. Fill the empty spaces with Your presence and help them find hope, even in the midst of sorrow.
Remind them that their babies are never forgotten and that their love as a father does not end because their child is no longer here.
We trust You to hold what we cannot.
In Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17
So.....Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there who let the angels hold their babies!
