Water Slides and Ropes Courses

"It is easier for a father to have children, than for children to have a real father." - Pope John XXIII



I am not the most adventurous person. I am not what you would call a dare devil. I am the type of person that enjoys sitting in my recliner or rocking chair, enjoying the peace or listening to music, quietly reading a book. Never have been a huge fan of roller coasters or wild rides, yet there I sat, at the top of some ridiculous water slide. As I sat there, waiting for the green light from the "12 year old" life guard, the only thought going through my head was, "This is nuts! Why in the world am I doing this?" As I thought this, I looked over, and the answer was apparent instantly - because my kids wanted to do something with their dad.

The weekend trip I recently took with the family brought many such events - especially when I was hanging, 3 stories up, from some insane ropes  course. Just what the man with an artificial hip needs to do! As 6 year olds easily conquered obstacles that I was struggling with, or they patiently waited for some old dude to finish a "simple rope bridge", I found myself once again thinking:
"AM I CRAZY - - why in the world am I putting myself through this?" And the answer was simple, my son and daughter had asked me.

In these instances it would have been so easy to simply say no, or brush them aside, or explain away that I was too old, but so much would have been lost if that had been my response. And while it was not even in my top 100 favorite things to do, it was the most important thing I could have done at that moment. Bill Cosby, one of my favorite TV dads said it best, "Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children."

At those moments, I was being a dad. I was putting aside my wants, my desires, and putting what they wanted ahead of me. As I grow in this journey of Fatherhood, and as my kids get older, I am realizing more and more how fleeting these moments are. I am beginning to see how quickly these moments pass, and that if I miss these opportunities, they may never come again.

So often in our society fathers are viewed as one who knows nothing, or at times are simply absent from the daily lives of their children. This is the only legacy that many see in fathers. Perhaps it is time that we as dads make sure we are living a different life before our children and families. The more I grow in this role, the more I realize that it is not about me, but about the relationship, legacy, and witness I leave my children. The small decisions I make each day will chisel in stone the perception they have of me, and will show them my true heart as a father.

Clarence Budington Kelland once said, "My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it." Dads, what are our little ones seeing us live? Each day, in each instance this is a question we need to consider. The little choices we make today may shape our children in ways we could not possibly imagine. 

John put it this way, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend." (John 15:13). My prayer as a dad, is that when my children look at me, this is what they see - a man who would lay down his life, his wants, his desires, and his plans, to invest in them, and build a relationship that will last for a lifetime. This needs to be the legacy and memories that I leave them - a legacy of love, and putting others first; of laying aside what I want to love and serve another.

Today is Father's Day. A day set aside to honor the special man who not only helped bring each of us into this world, but also influenced and impacted each of our lives in a hundred little ways. I am thankful each day for the impact and influence my wonderful father had on me, and I only hope I can be a fraction of that to my own children. I hope today is a blessed one for all you fathers out there. Happy Father's Day!

Quotes:
Pope John XXIII and Bill Cosby quotes taken from www.brainyquote.com
Clarence Budington Kelland  quote taken from www.goodreads.com