On the shoulders of GIANTS
Today, I received a text from my son that truly touched my heart. As I read it, I wept as it brought back memories of my own dad, and the things I said to him after I became old enough to know that he was actually a pretty smart guy.
One of my favorite quotes is from Sir Isaac Newton. He said, (I’m paraphrasing), “if I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants”. The problem is, as a man, it takes us far too long to recognize that our own fathers or grandfathers are/were giants.
As a young man, I thought my dad was behind the times, outdated, and unintelligent. Everyone and everything around me pointed to a different truth, my youthful mind and stubborn heart saw a mere mortal that time and society had surpassed. I now realize, far too late, that he was a GIANT of GIANTs!
The Enlightenment
It was about five years into my own marriage, when we were about to bring our daughter Krystalyn into the world, that I began to see the GIANT that he was. It took me far to long to realize that he was trying to help me figure things out quicker than he did. He was trying to help me see further.
To see further is every young man’s desire. Our problem is the “pride of life” as John talks about in the book of 1st John. Our problem is our pride, we want to find the way ourselves rather than leaning on the wisdom of those that have gone before us. Another favorite quote of mine is an African proverb, it states: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” How much easier this calling of fatherhood would be if would just learn the value of wisdom much earlier in life.
Youthfulness
I think most young men that are new fathers, at some point develop the same thought in their head. I want my son or daughter to have it better than I had it. So, we begin the journey of fatherhood, doing the best we can and trying to figure it out along the way. It never fails that life comes at us in ways we never imagined. The path we thought was right, quickly shows us that we were wrong, dead wrong! Some stick it out and find a different path, some do not. Some abandon their post and throw in the towel.
Advice I have offered my son and every young man that will listen. There are vessels of wisdom out there just waiting to be poured out. You may not have had a great example in your dad. Your dad may not have even been around, but God has placed GIANTs in your path. Those giants are the wellsprings of wisdom that you should latch on to early and often. God’s word and his servants are what we have to glean what is the true nature and character of a father.
The Calling Revealed
This weekend we were lucky enough to have Coach Tom Mullin preach at our church and it was fantastic. It was a simple call to our duty as a man and as a dad. I want to share his three points that came from one verse in the book of Jude. The verse is simple yet powerful. “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:” (Jude 1:1)
This verse is full of truth and wisdom for everyone, but for me today it speaks to me as a man, and as a father. It is a message for me as a man, and a message that I must convey to my kids and grandkids. In this one verse we see that we are:
- Called
- Loved
- Kept
Godly Wisdom for Humans
These points should inspire us all as Christians. Jude is reminding me that God has called me, I have my identity in Him. He reminds me of the Father’s love for me, which I should never doubt, but I do. Finally, Jude says I am kept for Jesus. I see the work of the Holy Spirit and His office in keeping the Saints. Preparing the Bride for her Husband. What a glorious picture we get of our God and His love for us.
Godly Instruction for Dads
These points direct me as a father and grandfather, to a very important job. I am an influencer. Yes, I said influencer, I know that I am a very different portrait of an influencer than you might have in your mind. Certainly, with what our society calls an influencer today. It is time for those of us who have lived on this planet long enough to have gained experience and knowledge, to become a source of influence.
Called
Jude reminds me that as a father and grandfather I have a very important job to do. It is my job to teach and remind my kids and my grandkids that they are called. They are called exactly as they are. The identity crisis of today exists because we have lost sight of truth. God created you and he created my kids and grandkids exactly as they are. He has CALLED them exactly as they are. It is my job to remind them of that and convey the importance of their calling.
Loved
It is also my job to love them and remind them how much our Heavenly Father loves them. Dads and Grandparents, it is our duty to convey the message and enact Christ’s covenant of love in their lives, each and every day.
Kept
Finally, it is my job to teach and live out what it means to be kept. The peace, comfort, and safety of knowing that no matter what, you are kept is invaluable! So many broken homes and broken families today where, kids do not understand the concept of being kept, protected, hedged in, and safe. I was positioned as a father to do this. I was commissioned as a grandfather to do this, and I am commanded as a child of God to do this.
Thanks for playing along, remember all of life is ministry!
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