“Dedicate your children to God and point them in the way they should go, and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life.” Proverbs 22:6 (The Passion Translation)
Sports season reflect the seasons in our life,
Football season: rough tough, angry
Basketball season: hustle, trying to keep up
Hockey season: focused, team driven
Baseball season: quiet, time slows down
This Father’s Day, reflection has allowed me to take a step back and evaluate where I am as a husband, father, friend and teammate. This season for our family is sort of a cross between football and hockey. Which is sort of a weird mix. Yet, that is where we find ourselves Father’s Day 2019.
We are blessed to have a family member who is struggling to fight an opponent. Not your every day opponent mind you. But a rival, who is without mercy and to this point and as far as I know is undefeated. Dementia.
It is my opinion that it does not matter what you did years ago. In fact it is not what you did in more recent times that define you. It is how you reevaluate and make corrections.
My father, lead by example. He was even keeled, focused and showed me how through various family struggles that you keep going. Keep pushing, keep building relationships and even mend relationships. In other words do whatever you need to put points on the board of life.
A few years ago, I struggled to come to grips with my past. Living decades in the darkness of unforgiveness and being blind to it. Sometimes when we are use to living a certain way, through God’s mercy I no longer carry unforgiveness. It did not happen overnight. It was a choice I had to make. I no longer wanted the weight of not forgiving people to be an anvil around myself and my family. God has broken the chains and I am now free.
In this rough/ tough football season mixed with focused/ team driven hockey season. We strap on our armor and stand and wait for God to move. Do not get me wrong, we will work, we will fight, we will remember we are not alone in our endeavor.
God is giving our family this season to galvanize us as a unit. That is the blessing. That is Father’s Day 2019.