My neighbor is a great dad. I have a birds’ eye view of his yard from my upstairs window. He has a bunch of kids and a setup that any child would want to play in. Between the trampoline and the treehouse, the swing set and the pool, it’s obvious this guy has put hours into making sure his kids have a safe, inviting place to play right in their backyard.
My son’s yard has a lot of the same accoutrements. My
grandchildren don’t have to go very far to find themselves in childhood
paradise.
On a recent weekend, my neighbor’s children were frolicking along
as usual. I caught a glimpse of them and heard their merry sounds while I was
scurrying about upstairs. The scene this time was typical of many dads, and it
keeps creeping into my memory and making me smile.
Dad was seated at the picnic table in the early part of the
evening. Several of his offspring were doing their kid business at the various stations
he had installed for their enjoyment. Dad seemed to have two things in mind –
relaxing and blowing his nose.
Maybe the family had run out of tissues because he was doing the deed with paper towels. It’s allergy season, so this wasn’t a
one-shot deal. Again and again, he expelled whatever was needful into those
rough, scratchy pieces of paper. Also on a repeated basis, he responded to his
children’s cries for attention.
“Dad! Dad!” was a constant refrain.
At one point, he took a call. Dad is a businessman and
probably works all hours. Businesses are not respecters of families, so 7 PM on
a Saturday is as good a time as any to pick up messages or send out a bid.
The children weren’t concerned about interrupting their father’s dealings.
Their attention seeking didn’t stop just because he got a call.
Dad admonished them gently but firmly to wait while he
finished his business.
When that was over and done with, he stood up (after blowing
his nose several more times) and began a game of catch with his daughter. He
appeared to be giving her pointers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he coaches her
team.
The high point of Dad’s night – after tending to work, kids,
coaching, and nose blowing – was lawn mowing. This surprised me. I felt sure
after completing so many obligations this guy would feel he deserved a little recreation
of his own. No such luck. Dad’s day wasn’t over just because the sun was going
down.
All this reminded me of my own father and my son who, as of
two weeks ago, has four youngsters calling him “Dad”. It also brought to mind my two
brothers-in-law, who jumped feet first into the gap to help my sons become decent,
responsible men. And, not least, my children’s father, who tried so hard in his final
years to make up for what he had missed when our boys were growing up.
Usually, I insert one or two Bible verses into each article I post; that seems inadequate here. The Scriptures are chock full of jottings to dads and would-be dads as to how to get it right (and what to avoid). For that reason, I’m offering this link containing a host of Scriptural wisdom to faithful fathers everywhere – and to those who may have messed up, but are trying to get it right.
Guys, you haven’t got this. How could you? The job is
bigger than any flesh and blood could handle.
But our heavenly Father – who
