Mike’s Musings ….
Father and Son Time
It isn’t often I have the joy of spending time with either of my sons. Though one lives nearly a hundred miles from us, and the other is only fifteen miles away, we don’t see either of them as often as we’d like. When we do, the time seems short. Today afforded me a wonderful, delightful, much desired, and rewarding morning of father and son time.
I remember the time with Dad. After moving to Indiana, there were much fewer opportunities than when we lived in Ohio. Then, our visits were frequent, but once we moved, those few days each year were purposely memorable. He’s been gone for twenty-five years, and those precious memories bring back a pleasantness that still warms my heart. Prayerfully, such will be of equal comfort for my boys someday.
I muse on Ephesians 6: 1 – 4 quite often. There is no age limit to that passage: children of God-fearing parents must always love and respect them, and as the father of children, we dads never “age out” of bringing those children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As we get older, that time with the children is more fleeting, so we need to make the best of every moment with them … even when they are old enough to have their own adult responsibilities. Sure, they often think they’re old enough and wise enough to make their own choices, and they are! But as parents, we’ll always have more experience in life’s matters, and children must remember to obey and honor their parents in the Lord.
Both parents and children make mistakes in this process, but as we learn, we remember. Often, the best lessons learned are those learned “the hard way.” The memories of learning from Dad are precious to me, but the lessons learned from my Father in Heaven are more precious! I muse on the fact my earthy father learned from my Heavenly Father and passed those lessons on to me. Prayerfully, I’ve done the same during my father and son time with my boys!