The Inspiring Word for June 2018

Wow, can you believe it’s June? 2018 is half gone. But, June brings us to a very special day, Father’s Day. This year I have been drawn, more so than in the past, to the wisdom of my parents. The older I get I seem to realize more the value of the wisdom they gave me. Lori and I both are blessed to have mothers with us still. Both of us have had to see our father’s promoted to eternity. We speak often of our parents and the things they taught us as children and young adults. For this issue of “The Inspiring Word” I would like to challenge you to reflect on your parents and the wisdom, experience and training they provided you. I realize some reading this may not have had a memorable relationship with their parents; none of us have lived a storybook life. Maybe your memories are with grand-parents or foster parents or adoptive parents. There is a parent role model in your life and they have worked tirelessly to make a godly influence in your life.

I recently shared a childhood story with a co-worker. The house I live in was built by my father circa 1960. When the sunlight hits my parents old bedroom door just right I can see small handprints, they were mine when I was a toddler. Dad, worked third shift in a cotton mill, he would come home and go to be but I wanted to see him so I would stand at the door a slap it with my hands. I’m certain I got into trouble, but dad and I were best friends, where he went I went. This relationship is missing in too many families today. Men, if you have fathered children please make sure you’re a father to your children. If something has gotten between you, and parent and child are both still alive, there is time to put it to rest and start moving forward with the relationship God has set aside for you. Reach up to Jesus and reach out to family and watch God work.

I am fortunate to have many memories with my parents and I bet you do too. I know we live in a fast paced world and social media seems to have taken the place of personal visits and even telephone calls but let me encourage you to put life in a slower gear, pour a cup of coffee, a glass of sweet tea or lemonade and find a quiet spot and reflect on your childhood. My father was an outdoorsman he trained me to shoot, hunt, and fish, garden and provide for myself in the most demanding of times. These are skills that are with me today, and skills that I try to pass on to my grandchildren. I recently bought a hunting knife blank. I wanted to finish it out myself. Buying a finished knife would be much cheaper. But, the skills I used were given to me by my parents and I wanted to use them one more time. The knife with English walnut scales turned out nice and it fits my hand just right. It’s more than a purchase it’s an investment that can be passed along to the next generation. The important things in life don’t necessarily come from books. They are life skills and they are taught, not read.

Those life skills would not be complete without Mom’s input into my character. From prayer to church to Bible to manners and family skills she makes a big influence in our lives. Lori and I recently spent an evening talking about how we became who we are. We may have a long way to go but thanks to our parents we have a roadmap to follow. I bet you have a roadmap too. I bet someone in your life has invested in you. Think about whom that man or woman is and spend some time thinking about the skills, experience and wisdom they have invested in you. Look at yourself and consider this, are you investing in the lives of the children in your life. Share skills, help them have experiences that will last a lifetime and don’t forget your wisdom, pass it along to the next generation. They will put down the cell phones, the computers, the video games and etc… if they have a reason. Let’s start giving them a reason. I found it a pleasure to learn new things with my daughters when they were younger; I still enjoy learning new things with all of them. I consider it a blessing in deed to have six wonderful grandchildren I can learn with. I’m never too old to learn and I find something every day I can invest in their lives. I believe this is the interpretation and application of Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” It may take some time, it did with me, but I retained my training because it was godly training and as I have gotten older I return to more and more of it. Parents invest yourself into your children and remember this, being a father or mother is genetic but being a Dad or Mom comes from the heart. You will be blessed in the end, I have been.