There are days when I really miss my dad and the lessons he taught me. I grew up in a lower middle-class home. We always had what we needed, but we didn’t live extravagantly. When I wanted something, my dad would be very careful in how he ‘helped me’ get it. He never did for me what he knew I could do for myself. When I was older, I realized that even at a fairly young age, he trusted me. What a great gift it is for a parent to show their children that they not only love them but they trust them. When I was 13 or 14 I wanted a fishing boat. We lived on the Gulf coast and several of my friends had boats and I wanted one too. My dad looked around and found a 15’ flat-bottomed plywood skiff. It was a bit rickety and it leaked at every seam it seemed. We spent hours working in the garage with that boat turned upside down on sawhorses while I learned how to mix water-proof glues, countersink brass screws, install plugs, cutting/shaping/installing new oak staves, and putting fiberglass materials on the seams with resin and glue epoxy. Looking back, the hours we spent together working on that boat we were much more valuable than the boat we were restoring. My dad could have bought a fancy fiberglass Jon boat that didn’t leak or need all of the work . . . but I am certain that was never the point.
Jesus once told His disciples, “You are bad and you still know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11 NLV) The way God, the loving Father, answers our requests may not always look like what we asked for, but when we look back, more often than not, we will see that He not only gave us what we ask for, but we grew in knowledge, understanding, and intimacy with Him. Whatever you are facing today, big or small, ask knowing that He is good, and He knows how to give the best gifts to His children.
Pastor John (PJ)