“When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words…” ~ Proverbs 4:3-4a
REFERENCE:
I celebrate every dad today (you are either a dad, have one, or had one). It is a great privilege to be called a father, so if you are one, you are fortunate. As fathers, our children are our greatest assets because they carry on our legacy. Without them, what is the purpose of accumulating wealth? To what purpose do you build a house or a company if there is no child to manage them after you? Without responsible, well-trained children, why do you own acres of land?
A child’s greatest gift is his/her father. King Solomon could proudly talk about the impact of his father’s teachings. He later said that the glory of children is their father. I remember a boy in my daughter’s elementary school who was sad because his dad didn’t have time for him and wouldn’t let him in his office). As fathers, our most significant investments should be in our children.
Many years ago, Al Capone owned Chicago; he wasn’t famous for anything heroic but was known for crime, bootlegging, prostitution, and murder. He had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” Eddie was very good! Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Al out of jail for a long time. In appreciation, Capone paid him very well with big money and special bonuses. Eddie and his family occupied a large mansion with live-in help and 24-hour first-class services.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob, ignoring the crime around him. Yet, he had one soft spot – His son, whom he loved dearly and provided with the best of everything. Despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie tried to teach his son right from wrong; Eddie wanted him to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son: he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.
Easy Eddie soon reached a difficult decision. He decided to rectify his wrongs. He went to the authorities to ‘expose’ Al “Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. He had to testify against The Mob, knowing the cost would be great. Within the year, Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street, but he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer at the greatest price he would ever pay.
Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read: “The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop: at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”
HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY!
PHOTO QUOTE
Proverbs 17:6, I Samuel 17:57-58 and Judges 13:8-12
PRAYER:
“Father, give every father the grace to shine the light of Your love to their children and to raise them in such a way that they will make you proud. Empower them to be men that bring you honor and glory. Bless their work, keep them in health, and give them long life, in Jesus’ name.”
