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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
Do everything in love.” – 1 Corinthians
16:13-14
The wall was higher than he had originally remembered. Generally when obstacles were in his way he
was able to take them down without so much as breaking a sweat or straining his
mental capacity. Since his childhood he
had relied solely on his brawn and his strength to overcome setbacks in life
and the challenges that were constantly placed before him. As he paced along the corridor his mind
wandered to the moment when he last saw his child. Years had passed, mistakes had been made and
he was no longer the man that held her in his arms on the day of her birth. There was a time in his life when she would
run across the green grass of the front yard and leap into his strong arms as
she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and held him for all she was worth. He would kneel down to her level and look her
square in the eye and with the fullest sincerity told her, “I’ll always love
you.”How could he then have fallen so far from that day. How could he have allowed his selfishness, his pride and arrogance to get in the way of loving his own child. His wife had long ago given up on him and written him off, but not her, not his only child. For some reason she had continued to write to him and stand by him, though he didn’t deserve it. Despite her attempts to reach him, he could not wipe his memory of the awful things he said to her on that day he walked out the door. His hand moves along the cold stone wall as he searches for the right words, the right manner by which to move on in this life.
The light at the end of the corridor causes his heart to quicken, and his breath to come in gasps. She would now be in her mid 20’s and based on her last message, was married with a young girl of her own. Standing at the door, his hand on the smooth surface of the 2 inches of metal that separated him from the rest of his life, his feet froze. Once that door opened, he would have to face the reality of everything he had spent the last 20 years of his life avoiding. His eyes were blinded by the brightness of the sun shining through the crack as the door opened, and the warm humidity of the summer day washed over him. Stepping onto the dirt and stone driveway, his eyes adjusted to the invasion of sunlight. He saw her figure silhouetted against the horizon and lifted his hand to block the sun. As he did, he saw the young girl running towards him and leaping. He reached out and caught her in his arms, kneeling down upon the stone drive, he heard these words, “I’ve always loved you Grandpa.”
Men, you own your legacy, you own the responsibility of raising your children to love God and love others as God has loved you. Teach them that love is not conditional and that we are all broken in one way or another, but if we love through the pain, God will restore our brokenness. It is not expected that you will be the perfect father or the perfect husband or the perfect Christian; but you have to take ownership of serving them with everything you have. They will become what you demonstrate to them, just as you should become what Christ demonstrated to you. Put aside your shame, your pride, your arrogance and selfishness. Press back the desires to run and hide from the responsibility that has been laid upon your shoulders. Alcohol, drugs, lust, greed, sex and other addictions will only cloud your judgment and your ability to love your wife and children according to the principals of our Savior.
Guard your family with everything you have, for the enemy is outside of your doors and windows trying desperately to break up the love that God has placed inside of you. Take back what the world has taken, seek their forgiveness and pursue their love and their heart with every breath you have left. This is your family and you need to be willing to give them nothing short of your life if that’s what it takes. Jesus Christ died so that you might have life, you must learn to die to yourself to ensure that your family likewise has life.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
We are all sinners and none worthy of your love, yet you have given it freely to all who seek it. I pray for the men today, that they might be convicted by Your Holy Spirit to stand up for what is good and right in following you. I pray that they might find the strength to overcome the world’s desires that fill their mind and heart, and press on to pursue Your presence in everything they do. Lord, forgive these men for their past and give them a vision to their future that is filled with Your love and purpose in their life. I pray these things in the name of Your Son – Jesus Christ. Amen
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