When you think of your father, what sort of image does the term conjure up in your mind. Fear? Dread? Unrealistic expectations? Patience? Love? Understanding?My father passed away over nineteen years ago. Yet, he left with me a powerful lesson in dealing with people who have wronged you. Dad was not perfect, but he applied his faith in the Lord that carried over to practical real-life situations like dealing with those who grievously sinned against him.
On the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday, my sisters and I all wrote letters as a way to honor this special man for the impact he made on our lives. We all approached this in our own unique way. Each communicated a sense of gratitude for who he was. My letter reveals a small essence of what effect a loving father can have on his children. I would like to share an excerpt from the letter I wrote honoring my dad:
"A graphic illustration of the life you gave me in love occurred in the spring of 1969. Remember, it was the Father and Son Breakfast. We met a man who had hurt you terribly. Humanely speaking, I wanted to haul off and belt the guy. However, you taught me a lot by your response. You conveyed a loving, patient, and genuine concern for his well-being. That man was extremely ill at ease because of your love. My attitudes about loving the less lovable were stretched that morning. Now as the father of Krista & Ryan [ since then we have added Jason and Kara] I know something of the awesomeness it means to bring up one's children in the "training and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4, NIV). Thanks Dad, for giving us this kind of practical Christian parenting." (Any errors in the letter remained as the actual letter was written.)
The sense of spiritual impact is not a new concept by any means. This was one of the things that marked the life of Job. He understood the concept of being a priest of his home which meant he was the spiritual leader and was the initiator of making sure that his household was in right standing with God. We read, "So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, 'It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' Thus Job did regularly" (Job 1:5, NKJV). Even when Job was under the gun, losing his possessions, all of his children and most of his servants being killed, and his life partner wanted Job to give up on God and die. Reeling from such excruciating litany of tragedies, Job had the strength of character and commitment to the Lord to rebuke his grieving wife's counsel and remain faithful to God. Phenomenal!
We do not know all that transpired, but there are a few things we do know. God blessed Job with more children. You can never replace any child, but Job and his wife had the opportunity to experience the blessing of parenting once again. Each child is a priceless representation of the creative love of God in human form. But the implication is this that Job's solidarity of character aided his grieving wife, so that eventually she was able to process her grief, move forward and experience the joys of being a wife and mother again. (See Job 42;10-17.)
Final thought: if more men were as invested about being spiritual leaders in their homes and marriages as they are in their jobs or watching NFL game of the week, what effect would that have on their wives?
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I appreciated being reminded of your comment about our wonderful and loving Dad. One of the truly amazing facts about him was that he was the same at home as he was in public, a lesson that later helped in raising my own sons. Now I am a grandparent and I find the lessons Dad taught me are passed on now to another generation.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lord, for giving me a Dad like him!