Who can calculate the importance of a daddy to a son?
Who can calculate the importance of a daddy to a son? The magnitude of this question would be perilizing if I didn't have hope that God is sovereign AND holy.
I came home Monday to a pile of papers on the table. It was Stephen's school work from the previous week. One stack of white pages was a series of stapled "books" containing pictures that Stephen (almost 7 years old) had drawn depicting activities that he and I had done together over the last few years. Each page contained a picture and a simple sentence in his own writing that explained the drawing. There was a story about fishing two years ago; a story about tenting two years ago; an imaginary story about hunting for deer; and the final one was about climbing up to daddy's tree stand using the rope a month ago. The stories were a great mix of true details and fictional embellishments, such as "we ate the deer" and "we ate the fish". The thing that struck me most about all of his stories was that every single one began with some version of "Me and dad...". There were no other main characters. They were all about us.
This was a rare and important gift from the Lord. It is humbling and convicting at the same time. It makes me want to be a better father. It makes me want to prioritize my family higher. It makes me want to create more of these important memories. It also makes me glad that the Lord has restrained my pride and selfishness at least a few times so that Stephen can have memories like these. Finally, it causes me to marvel at the gentleness of God toward me. I deserve a swift kick in the pants for the many times I have been harsh with my boys. Yet in this simple thing, the product of my son's creativity, He has both encouraged and admonished at a level no one else could. In the same moment I am humbled and exalted; sorrowful and rejoicing.
