Monday, May 23, 2005

God's grace and fatherhood

Since I am about to have a son, I have been thinking much about the reality of raising a son. This, of course, begins to raise all manner of doubts regarding my ability to do so correctly; in a manner that pleases God. How can I possibly be successful at that which I have never done? And what about all of my own failings/sins? Am I worthy of my sons' emulation? Will my son be a success or will he become a fool in this life? I believe that it is natural to face all of these realities and it is even better to be sobered by them. I certainly have begun to experience this in my employment as I have noticed that I am becoming more diligent and beginning to make progress in the promotion to captain process. But what of all my doubts? Well, blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God. He who rules this world in every way and, in His providence, governs my life and provides for all my needs. How? I happened to borrow a biography of Robert E. Lee's life from Frank Sanchez. It was written by Steve Wilkins, a Presbyterian pastor back east. In the chapter entitled "Birth and Lineage" there is the account of Lee's father and his failed business ventures. It seems that he was somewhat of a speculator with his money and took unnecessary risks with his capital. This left him in deep debt and soiled his good name as he spent some time in debtors prison. After his being humbled greatly from ignoring wisdom, he earnestly desired that his sons not follow in his footsteps. God granted his request. Both of his sons were successful in their lives. Do you see what I see? Do you really see it? God is merciful! God is gracious! In spite of a not always being wise father, God used him to raise up a great leader who ultimately led the Southern army's in the Civil War. I hope you see what I am trying to say. God is good and gracious towards sinners who turn to Him in humility and seek His face. And they can only do this because of the gracious provision for their sins in the death of Jesus, the Messiah. Be encouraged! Be greatly encouraged!!! And as you father your sons, remember the grace of God...never forget the grace of God. Amen.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dan, I am honored to be the first one to post on your blog site. I'm also honored that you have a link to my "genius" website. I guess my website is more of a pictoral blog than anything else, but I'm constantly amazed at how many people I've met. I'm going to put up a map of the world with spots to show where people who have emailed me are currently living. I've met people from all over the world, including Antarctica. It just blows me away that the internet has made this possible.

Anyway, it is cool to read your thoughts on parenting. Now that I am a father of two boys, I too am amazed at how God has made up the difference where my parenting skills lack. Fortunately, there is a book called "Shepherding A Childs Heart" by Tedd Tripp. Tedd goes where few authors will dare to go these days, and his insight into Godly parenting is a refreshing wealth of information. This book, along with the Bible, form quite a nice instruction manual on how to correctly parent in these days of confusing liberal influence. So, just go for it. You will be the parent that you are meant to be and you will experience something that will just blow you away!

Now I have to go lay on the couch. I'm putting in a new fence and this physical labor is killing me.

Dave