Today I want to introduce you to 2 fathers who each reflected in their lives some aspects of their Heavenly Father’s character.
Ron had a wife and 3 children and he was active in his church. Sadly Ron’ s wife left the family to start a new life elsewhere, leaving Ron to juggle the demands of his family and work. I didn’t know him but am told by people who were in his church that he did a wonderful job of raising his young family, and as his children became teenagers, he was able to resume some youth work in the church, involving his older children in that.
Each of his children have grown up to be lovely people. It seems that one particular gift that Ron gave his family was a lack of bitterness towards their mother, despite the very challenging time he had as a single parent. This meant that, in later life, they were able to have some contact with their mother, and perhaps gain answers to the questions they had never previously been able to ask her. This cannot have been easy for Ron, but members of his church told me of the influence he had on teenagers in his youth club, as well as on his own children.
I don’t know if I could have forgiven a husband/ wife in those circumstances but I do believe a life lived in this way reflected the amazing grace of our Heavenly Father.
St Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Chapter 4. Verses11 to 12,
” Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrongdoing and slander together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted , forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you”
The second father is the only one in this series I have not renamed. This is because Arthur Roger was my own father. I was hugely blessed to grow up with a father who was gentle, kind and patient. One of his particular gifts was to act as a peacemaker. I can recall incidents that occurred when tensions rose between people, and my father actively intervened to calm troubled waters and diffuse tension.
In his church he showed particular friendliness to new people and pastoral care to those who were ill, or shouldering caring responsibilities. All this was quietly done, and some of his acts of kindness I only discovered from things people told me after he died..I am so grateful for the example he showed me by his words and actions.
In the Beatitudes Matthew records the words of Jesus.
” Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”
Matthew 5 vs 9
A Prayer: Father God, we thank you for those men who have shown us something of your character by the way they have lived their lives.