There is nothing as conceivable in the mind of man than the grandeur of the grace of God. Every study, secular or temporal, tells us that good relationships keep us happier and healthier, especially relationships with our own family, and especially relationships with our own parents. That great commandment, given by God to Moses with promise, tells us to honor our parents.
I have been amazed, in a long life, how many young men had no relationship with their own father. Oh! The words they would use about their father, even though they were the carrier of their father's DNA. I never knew a gay male to refer to his father, he always talked about his mother.
Mark Twain said life is not long enough to have hardness, we need softness--certainly softness in the appreciation of parents, no matter how "adrift" the biological father, who planted the seed for your life. There is no way we can know the reason for things working out as they do with couples, divorce, etc. But, God has his reason for bringing people together, for giving certain very definite DNA characteristics to someone like you, characteristics which can never be duplicated. If there had not been illicit sex between David and Bathsheba there would never have been a Solomon, known for the three W's: Wisdom, Wealth, Wives. More importantly, he is known for his great contribution to God's Holy Word.
Every day, we marvel at the courage of so-called "average" people. Every day, we grieve for people who squander their lives... So many suicides among young people.
We all must come to the realization that we cannot jump further than we have jumped already. We are not stuck where we start. That great preacher, Jonathan Edwards--pastor, missionary to Indian tribes--gave us the best definition for free will: God giving man the freedom of choice, the right to choose. Man without God in the mind is just a sophisticated chimpanzee.
Alice, in Alice in Wonderland, came to a fork in the road. A Cheshire cat was in a tree nearby. She asked the cat which direction she should take. The cat said, "where are you going?" and Alice replied, "I don't know." The cat replied, "Then it doesn't matter which direction you take."
The vast population of the world has always been made up of people with simple, genuine opinions. The greatest sound on this earth was the cry of a baby in Bethlehem... perhaps the greatest example of Fatherhood. God worked it all out in the council chambers of eternity. He chose to give us life and then chose to put on a tent of human flesh and live a perfect life among us...willing to die on a cruel tree to show us the very essence of giving. The father gave his son, the son gave his life.
I was amazed at how smart my own father was when I went to college. It did not take me long to have a new appreciation for him, the workingest man I have ever known, and probably the smartest. He did the best he could with what he had...intelligence, work ethic, frugal living, faith in a sovereign God. On the day of his funeral, just before the service started, a large funeral wreath was brought in to join all of those already there. The funeral director came over and handed the card to me and I put it in my pocket. Later, I had someone read the card to me. It was from the local General Assembly State Legislative Senator. "In memory of the only man who ever asked me about the welfare of my soul."
At the university, I was so impressed by men with PhD and MD degrees. They could not begin to measure up to my father, who could understand and cultivate anything. Like his ancestors before him, he prized freedom and knew the meaning of the words "Christian" and "American"...no pretending. From the "Good Earth" they had learned to live from the soil, knew how to raise livestock for survival (hogs and cows, which could be slaughtered for meat, even how to use wild animals from the forest), how to budget time, live frugally, and return to God a large part of income after paying honest debts (debts for fertilizer, seed, building supplies). He knew how to care for his farm animals and would not allow anyone to milk our beautiful cows except him.
We would have been considered peasants in Eastern North Carolina, growing "cash" crops, such as tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, to take to the auction market... carefully preparing everything. He and my mother were the stalwarts of our church (built in 1874 by both my mother and fathers' great-grandparents). We had the nicest church in the community, just as we had the nicest home in the community, and just as we had the nicest car/clothing/furniture. You could hear their voices at the church singing. I can still hear him singing as he was around the farm, early in the morning, feeding livestock, "nothing between my soul and the Savior," and many other hymns.
He was not ashamed of his faith. He would work on his tractor until 10 o'clock on Friday night and then stand on his feet all day on Saturday, cutting hair in town to help out the barbershop there and make extra money for us. Then he was up early on Sunday morning, heading for the church to build fires in the wintertime/open windows in the summertime. He was chairman of the school board, and the principal only had to come to him for problems, whether the problem be with a door or a student at the schoolhouse.
My father's four children all graduated from college. After I had returned from the military and had lost my eyesight, and because of the values he had taught me, I would have my driver take me up for a visit. My mother had died much too young. My driver would say, "he will be sitting on the front porch watching for you."
At the front of most churches, you will find the table from which the large supper is served. On most are these words, "In memory of me." Jesus did not tell us to remember him at Christmas, Easter, or any other time...the only time was at the Lord's table, partaking of the bread and wine. His broken body...broken for our healing, his shed blood... every drop for our redemption. Fatherhood has been a failure if you raise children who go to hell, who go to prison.
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