The date was March 2, 2009 and Malinda had finally had all she could stand of the kitchen faucet. It had not been working properly for a couple of months, but I was able to fix it enough to make it work. Nevertheless, it finally gave out so, with newly bought faucet and what few tools I have in hand I decided to give the whole plumber thing a shot. Mind you, I have never done any sort of plumbing in my life.
Now, for those of you who don't know me very well, I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. (Malinda would say that's the understatement of the year!) So, while I didn't
know what I was doing, I was at least going to act like it. I laid out a towel on the ground, put a couple of tools on one side and a flashlight on the other and I was ready to go to work. I had no sooner got under the sink when along came my two year old son James to "give me a hand." The first thought that came to my mind was, "Malinda, come get your son!", but then I thought, "I really don't know what I'm doing so what can it hurt?" He then proceeded to help me "fiss (fix) it."As we were "fissing it," I came to the realization that the fittings for the new faucet were not the
same as the old one, so I was at an impasse not really knowing what to do next. Luckily my dad just so happened to be coming to visit us that night and he was able to tell me what I would need to make it work properly. The next day, I went out and purchased the parts I needed and, to my delight (as well as surprise), it worked. James was so excited, he kept saying, "I fissed it! I fissed it!"So what's the significance of this? Well, there's a couple of different thoughts I had about this. First, as I reflected on James' actions in this whole ordeal, I began to wonder what was going through his mind. Was he there to really help me? Did he just want to be where I was, doing what I was doing? I believe it was probably both. What if we desired God in the same way? James wants to be with me all the time and he gets so excited when I ask him to help me with whatever I am doing. What's cool about the relationship we have with our heavenly Dad is that He asks for our help as well. Even though He could accomplish everything He wants to do on His own, He chooses to use us and allow us to get into the action. Do you desire to be where God is, doing what He is doing?
Secondly, I got to thinking about my dad's role in this "great undertaking." Although he was there to tell me what I needed to do, he didn't do it for me. Over the years the role that he has played in my life has changed. He's still my dad, but more than that, he has become my best friend. He has taught me what it is to be a man. When I was young, he did things for me. As I grew older, he showed me how. Now, he's there to guide me, but it's me who is doing the work. One of the most important things he taught me was the importance of God's Word in my life. I remember being not much older than my son is now while my dad would put my sister and I to bed by reading out of The Picture Bible. Now I am carrying on the tradition with my son in hopes that God's Word will sink deep into his heart and establish a firm foundation.
That's it. Hopefully this blog will inspire you to want to be where God is, doing what He's doing, moreover, just to have a longing to be with Him. And for all you young dads, and you old dads as well, it's never too early or too late to lead your children in the ways of the Lord. You are their spiritual leader. They are going to follow your example. Be the man God designed you to be.
