Today is a big day in my household. My wife and I are celebrating our oldest son’s 14th birthday. I am not sure where the 14 years have gone, but I do know that my life has never been the same. I think back to the person I was before I became a dad. I was someone who lacked a sense of purpose. I was attempting a career transition that would never give me peace like I thought it would. Eventually, I answered my call to be a pastor.
My son gave me hope. I believe I learned how to be a man through being a father. My father was not present in my life. My genealogy tree is very one sided. I know nothing of my father’s side of the family. It’s as if they never existed. Because of the lack of a father, a part of me felt empty. My son’s birth filled that void. Fatherhood has given me a chance to give to my son something that I never had.
Today, I offer thanks to God for being the provider, protector, and defender, of my strangely talented and wonderful son. Every day he teaches me how to be a better man. I am convinced that we walk with God on our journeys through life and, sometimes, we experience the overwhelming love of our heavenly father. Those moments are what we live for. I am grateful that my journey, while not a very usual path, has taken me to where I am today. Maybe I needed to not know my father. Maybe there are reasons that I will never understand which keep me from communicating with that side of the family. What I do know is that along my way, I have discovered through my son how to give love in a way I never dreamed possible. Happy birthday son!
From a Pastor's Point of View 