Texas Baptists Committed - A Rancher's Rumblings, June 17, 2008

I found myself being very reflective on this particular Father’s Day. Part of it was the death of NBC newsman Tim Russert, who wrote a book about his dad a few years ago, entitled Big Russ & Me. Throughout the weekend, as so many friends and colleagues shared stories of Russert’s life on TV, one thing stood out: how proud he was of both his dad and his son Luke.

Another thing that made me reflective was the death of my stepson-in-law's father on Saturday. I preached his funeral Monday morning. His death came only 2 months after my stepdaughter lost her father. So their three boys have now lost both granddads in the past 2 months.

As I reflected on this Father’s Day weekend, two words came to mind – gratitude and forgiveness.

No father is perfect – either as a man or as a father. We're human, and we make mistakes. Yet I rejoiced when both Lance and Chad called me and told me what a great father I am in their eyes. I realized that those words were shaped by a deep understanding of forgiveness.

I think that forgiveness is actually the glue that holds relationships together. Where forgiveness is understood and practiced, relationships grow stronger. When forgiveness is not given and received, relationships die. It is really that simple.

(continued)

My Dad was not a perfect dad, but he was a wonderful dad. Yes, he worked too long and hard – a family trait passed from generation to generation for sure. But he did the one thing that, I think, is the most important thing a parent can do. He constantly reaffirmed to me – over and over – that he was (as Tim Russert said about his son Luke) “proud to be your dad.” He loved me unconditionally and forgave the many times I was a disobedient son, just like the father in his favorite Bible story, the parable of the prodigal son.

I think that experiencing such love results in gratitude, just as the result of our understanding of God’s love should be gratitude.

So I will make this week’s Rumblings short and sweet.

If you need to forgive your father (even if he is deceased), please do so. It is the only way to become whole and feel at peace.

If you need to forgive your child, please do so, and tell your child as soon as possible.

Have a sense of gratitude for all you claim as blessings and even, possibly, some things for which you never in your life imagined you could be grateful.

And if there is anyone you deeply love and haven’t told in a while, make the phone call or send the email today. Tomorrow might be too late.