THE ILLINOIS BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY reported that the volume of long-distance calls made on Father’s Day is growing faster than the number on Mother’s Day. The company apologized for the delay in compiling the statistics, but explained that extra billing of calls to fathers slowed things down. Most of them were “collect” calls.
Fathers seem to take a bum rap when June rolls around. It is even said that the official flower for Father’s Day is the dandelion, because the more it is trampled upon, the better it grows.
Dad may not get the billing and attention that mom gets, and perhaps that is understandable, given the amount of time that a child spends with his/her mother, but father is irreplaceable. His influence is beyond measure. Our prisons are filled with men who did not have a father (or at least a loving one) as a part of their lives while growing up. But for those who did, the benefits are incalculable. Here is a case in point.
A young successful attorney said, “The greatest gift I ever received was one I got one Christmas when my dad gave me a small box. Inside was a note that read, “Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll talk about what you want to talk about. We’ll go where you want to go, play what you want to play. It will be your hour!”
“My dad not only kept his promise,” he said, “but every year he renewed it---and it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my entire life. I am the result of his time.”
I wonder how many others would say “Amen” to this man’s estimation of his father’s commitment. After all is said and done, perhaps the greatest gift to our children is TIME. It’s an investment that will pay great dividends in the future.
So, come on dads, get up off the couch, put the paper down, come on in from your projects, give your children your undivided attention. If you do, someday they will rise up and call you “blessed.”
Fathers seem to take a bum rap when June rolls around. It is even said that the official flower for Father’s Day is the dandelion, because the more it is trampled upon, the better it grows.
Dad may not get the billing and attention that mom gets, and perhaps that is understandable, given the amount of time that a child spends with his/her mother, but father is irreplaceable. His influence is beyond measure. Our prisons are filled with men who did not have a father (or at least a loving one) as a part of their lives while growing up. But for those who did, the benefits are incalculable. Here is a case in point.
A young successful attorney said, “The greatest gift I ever received was one I got one Christmas when my dad gave me a small box. Inside was a note that read, “Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll talk about what you want to talk about. We’ll go where you want to go, play what you want to play. It will be your hour!”
“My dad not only kept his promise,” he said, “but every year he renewed it---and it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my entire life. I am the result of his time.”
I wonder how many others would say “Amen” to this man’s estimation of his father’s commitment. After all is said and done, perhaps the greatest gift to our children is TIME. It’s an investment that will pay great dividends in the future.
So, come on dads, get up off the couch, put the paper down, come on in from your projects, give your children your undivided attention. If you do, someday they will rise up and call you “blessed.”
posted by kazookid | 6:21 AM
1 Comments:
Good thoughts, Bruce.
Some years ago, one of the laymen in my church asked me, "Pastor, why is it that on Mother's Day, the ladies always hear an encouraging sermon, bragging on them, but when Father's Day comes, we can count on getting beat up?" That really gave me pause for thought. Each and every year after, I made it a point to be encouraging to dads. Did I challenge them in the sermon? Many times, yes, but I determined that Father's Day would be a positive one for our guys, and I never regretted it.
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