On May 10, 1982 I became a father for the first time, and on November 21, 1985 and again on June 8, 1990 I became a father. I had little understanding as to what being a father was, and even less a clue on what it took to be a father. I could only emulate what my dad did for me, and what he taught me, along with what I learned from Scripture – from the Greatest Father of all!

I made many mistakes, and if someone could relive those moments, I would have done things differently. But hindsight is always 20/20, and you don’t have “do-overs” in this game called life. You do the best you can, try to teach, teach, teach and teach some more, and hope that, despite your mistakes and sins, flaws and shortcomings, your children will be better than you ever thought about being. I pray for my sons daily – asking God to help them be better men than I; asking God (their greatest Father) to teach them what I failed to teach them; and asking God that they always be faithful to Him in whatever path life takes them.

One of the greatest parables in the entire Bible is the parable of the loving father (also known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son). You have a father who has two sons living at home. He has taught them, taken care of them, and reared them as he knew how. Both of the boys, however, have free wills, and these free wills showed up in their actions.

The first son, the youngest, asks to get his inheritance and leaves home. I can imagine he wants to “party” and is tired of his father’s rules and regulations. He wastes what he has, and comes back home asking to be his father’s servant. Living in the pig sty of the world has taught him so many things that his father could not teach him. No doubt, the father tried to protect his sons from this kind of life, and taught them the need for work; the need for wisdom in how to spend money; and the need for living a respectable life. Did it fall on deaf ears? Seemingly! However, his son does come back to the father, swallowing his pride and admitting that his father was right! Some lessons just have to be learned the hard way.

The father in the parable knows he cannot control his son’s life forever, so he gives him the freedom to make his own decisions. He knows his son; he knows how his son is “wired” and knows that it will not be long before his son is miserable and needy. But he lets his son make the decisions anyway. And he never stopped loving his son. Knowing what he knew would happen did not make his despise his son, or refuse to speak to him ever again. One of the greatest parts of the parable is that the youngest son KNEW he could come home, and be taken care of by his father. He knows that he has no claims on the father’s love; he knows he has disappointed his father and his father’s teachings; yet he can come home. I always imagine the surprise that was on his face when his father not only receives him back, but puts on the best robe; puts a ring on is finger; and treats him as he always did. His son has come home – home to stay. And I firmly believe that there was never a time when the youngest son would doubt his father’s love ever again. His soul would be knit to his father as never before, because he had sinned against his father, and his father freely forgave him the sins and treated him as if it never happened.

Our Heavenly Father is the father in the parable, and for all of us that have wallowed in the pig sty of sin, our hearts are knit in love for him that has been so patient and loving toward us. We don’t deserve forgiveness any more than the prodigal son did, but he has forgiven us! No doubt we have disappointed him more than we will ever know, but he is still waiting for us to come back, to receive us with open arms. What a Father!

More next week.
Tommy