Father of The Year (Happy Father's Day)

  I still don’t exactly know what it’s supposed to mean to be a man.  Oh.  I’ve had people tell me, and I’m sure several of you have very accurate definitions.  You read that book once.  In fact, that guy who read that book once told me what it means to be a man, but I forgot.  Since he isn’t with me every week telling me about that book he read and what it means to be a man, I don’t know if I’ll remember.  Perhaps if I read the book every week or two, I’ll eventually get it down.

  This morning, being father’s day, there was a certain excitement in our house.  You see, I’m the fun one.  It isn’t that my wife isn’t fun.  She’s just not as fun as I am.  It really isn’t a secret.  Not only am I more fun, I also like fun stuff.  And because I like fun stuff, my loving wife takes the opportunity to get me fun things.  So the whole family gets excited when I open my gifts, because everybody knows that the gifts will be the kinds of things that they will all want to play with.

   After opening my Wii Sports boxing gloves, Super Mario World for the N64, the ice cream hard chocolate shell, the can of peanuts, the free tickle coupon, the 1 day ipod use coupon and the 2000 point Wii game card, I noticed a heavier gift.  Taking the gift bag into the living room, I soon discovered it contained a SEGA Dreamcast. 

  Yay for me!

   As I went through the games which came with the system, I paid particular notice to the game ratings.  Some of the games are keepers.  I’ve already caught my first fish on the bass fishing game.  I’ll be throwing some games into the garbage, because I think they should be erased from history.

  The games I received had 3 basic ratings:  E – for everyone, T for teen, and M for mature.

  It’s funny.  In our culture, we believe that growing up seems to have something to do with getting drunk, getting laid or blowing someone’s head off.  I have to tell you, I’m not okay with that.

  Oh, I’ve gotten drunk before.  I’ve had sex a time or two as well.  I’ve never killed a person, but I do know how to use a gun and have shot my winter’s meat.  I know that very few people value my opinion, but for what it’s worth, it’s absolutely horrid that we equate growing up with the kind of things that we do.

  I don’t have a written definition of what it means to be a man, but I like to think that I have a decent picture.  If I could give you that picture, it would look a lot like a co-worker of mine named Adam.  I first met him when he was twenty years old.  He is now 26 I believe.  In the time I have known him, he has demonstrated time and again the kind of metal which should characterize much of manhood.

  Okay…He’s not perfect.  I do love pointing out his shortcomings from time to time.  Just hear me out.

  I have worked with a lot of boys in my short career.   When life demands more of us, most of us tend to complain, balk, turn to the drug, head to the bar for comfort, the hobby or throw up the flag in surrender.  As a deadline approaches on our work, many or most of us start to sweat, get frustrated, or angry as the clock ticks down.

  Men rise to the challenge.  In him, at work, as the clock winds down, he picks up his game.  As life gets harder, he pushes back even harder.  When his family needs more of him, he gives more of himself, at the sacrifice of his own comfort, rest and exercise.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he cries once on a while.  I know I would in his shoes.  What amazes me most, is that he has consistently handled life the way he has, without having had a father to model manhood before him, so I often wonder how he has learned to be the dad, husband and worker he is.  I like to think that what I see in him, is an indication that God the Father is at work in his heart.

  I’m sorry that I can’t tell you what it means to be a man.  I wish I had the definition for you so that you could tell your friends.   In this dark world, there may be a place to know how to fight, yet knowing how to smash in someone’s face isn’t what I would use as a qualifier for manhood.

  I’m sure there is a Bible study somewhere that will give you the answer.

PS  To many of the other fathers I know….I think the world of you too, but if you knew the full extent of Adam’s story, I think you’d agree that he deserves this.