Father’s Day is a little less sentimental than Mother’s Day, and people seem more prone to laugh at Dad’s foibles than praise him for his presence. In 2014, Paul Raeburn wanted to show just how vital dads are, so he published Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked.

He shared that fathers have more influence on children’s language development than mothers do, which leads to better performance in school. He showed that the father’s genes inside a developing baby pass along crucial signals that allow a baby to raise the mother’s blood pressure to get more nutrients and allow the baby to thrive. Raeburn also pointed out that when fathers are absent, daughters enter puberty up to a year earlier and are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Just by being present, fathers increase the odds of protecting their daughters. 

For as much as earthly fathers matter, there is a Father who matters even more. You can read about him in the Bible. There you’ll read about the Father who sacrificed his Son so you can be his child too. He’s the one who, thanks to his great love, motivates you to live a life of integrity. He’s the Father who provides for you so you thrive. He’s the Father who promises that you matter to him too: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).