The Present Is Not For My Son's Future

In the May 28, 1998, edition of USA Today, the following appeared among the letters to the editor:

Will somebody help me save my son?

My son is two years old and is a reflection of complete innocence.  His vulnerability to this harsh, violent ignorant and uncaring world just rips my heart apart.  He knows nothing of the killing within the schools that are supposed to prepare children for the world.  He knows nothing of the abuse that happens within the homes of children just his age.  As he plays with his toys, he is oblivious to the tragedies that occur every day across the country.  And as he clutches his blanket, sleeping soundly, dreaming of the mommy and daddy who love him, he has no idea of the complete social and moral decay of our country.

Does anyone care anymore?  Will somebody please, please help me save my son?

- Edward Moats, Bellair Beach, Florida

- Letters to the editor in USA Today, (May 28, 1998)

Relearning A Boy's Way

A father became upset about the time his six-year-old son took to get home from school.  He determined to make the trip himself to see how long it should take to cover that distance.  He concluded that twenty minutes maximum was enough, but his son was taking well over an hour.

Finally the father decided to walk with his son.  After that trip the man said, "The twenty minutes I thought reasonable was right, but I failed to consider such important things as a side trip to track down a trail of ants. . . or a stop to watch a man fix a flat. . . or the time it took to swing around a half-dozen telephone poles. . . or how much time it took for a boy just to get acquainted with two stray dogs.

"In short, I had forgotten what it is like to be six years old."

- submitted by Don E. McKenzie, Parables, Etc. (October 1993)

He was There All Along

A tribe of Native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the midst of thick woods. He had to stay there all night by himself.

Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked.

After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight lightened the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he saw the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father, who had been there all night long.

Likewise, God is always present with us in our trials. His presence is unseen, but it is more real than life itself.

 — Leonard Sweet, 
SoulSalsa (Zondervan, 2000)

Something's Got To Give

Many of you may recall the popular song "Cat's in the Cradle" sung by Harry Chapin. The words always bring a tear to my eye because I am a father, and over the years I have had to travel so much. The song unfolds as follows:

My child arrived just the other day; He came to the world in the usual way, But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay, He learned to walk while I was away.

And he was talkin' & before I knew it and as he grew, He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, Dad. You know I'm gonna be like you." And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, Little Boy Blue and the man in the moon.

"When you comin' home, Dad?" "I don't know when, but we'll get together then; You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day. He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on, let's play. Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "No, not today, I got a lot to do."

He said, "That's okay." And he walked away but his smile never dimmed. It said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah, You know I'm gonna be like him…."

And he came from college just the other day; So much like a man I just had to say,"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?" He shook his head and he said with a smile,"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later, can I have them please?"

I've long since retired, my son's moved away. I called him up just the other day. I said, "I'd like to see you, if you don't mind. "He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time. You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kids have the flu, But it's sure nice talkin' to you, Dad, It's been nice talkin' to you."

And as I hung up the phone, It occurred to me, He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, Little Boy Blue and the man in the moon,"When you comin' home, Son?""I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad. We're gonna have a good time then."

The melodrama of this song was played out in Chapin's own life almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have been told that his wife, who wrote the words of the song, asked him one day when he was going to slow down the torrid pace of his life and give some time to their children. His answer was, "At the end of this busy summer, I'll take some time to be with them." That summer, ironically and tragically, Harry Chapin was killed in a car accident.

It is not possible to read that postscript of Chapin's death and miss the larger point; that something was known, believed, and even "preached," but never lived. When we chase manmade crowns and sacrifice the treasured relationships for which God has made us, life loses its meaning.

- quoted from Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, (Word, Dallas: 1994), pp. 108-109

A Father's Greatest Gift

At the funeral of Ronald Reagan, his son Michael described the greatest gift a child can receive:

I was so proud . . . to be Ronald Reagan’s son. What a great honor. He gave me a lot of gifts as a child — a horse, a car, a lot of things. But there’s a gift he gave me that I think is wonderful for every father to give every son. . . .

Last Saturday, . . . when he closed his eyes, that’s when I realized the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had, back in 1988 on a flight from Washington, D.C., to Point Mugu, told me about his love of God, his love of Christ as his Savior. I didn’t know then what it all meant. But I certainly, certainly know now.

I can’t think of a better gift for a father to give a son. And I hope to honor my father by giving my son, Cameron, and my daughter, Ashley, that very same gift he gave to me. I know where my father is this very moment; that he is in heaven. I can only promise my father this: “Dad, when I die, I will go to heaven, too. And you and I and my sister, Maureen, who went before us, will dance with the heavenly host of angels before the presence of God. We will do it melanoma- and Alzheimer’s-free.”

 — Associated Press, “Reagan’s Children’s Eulogy Remarks,” USA Today (June 12, 2004)