I’ll be a Son of a….
Once upon a time there was a boy. This young lad came from a somewhat religious family. By religious I mean the family was headed by a strong father figure whose religious zeal was often expressed and expected to be followed. He was the oldest son and maybe more was expected of him than his siblings. Then again, maybe the father wanted his son to reach his full potential and the stern hand seemed like the logical method. Experience probably taught his father lessons that let him ease up on his other children. Or, maybe the father just realized the other siblings were different and therefore required different methods of motivation.
The church was always an important part of this young man’s life. It wasn’t by choice. No, the father made sure his son was there every Sunday. But the father wasn’t just demanding this dedication, he was living it also. If the child wanted an example of a child of God, he had to look no further than his own father. I’m sure the father had dreams of his son using his talents to extend God’s reach to others. The Bible then became a source of that education. Applying the Bible’s principles became the code of the family.
A lack of education was not an excuse for being slack on learning. His dad could have been a minister himself, or maybe he was a carpenter, or maybe he just sold bread to merchants. His dad’s main education was in that school we call life. His dad would work his way up to the positive reputation he now enjoyed. I guess you could say his dad was a self-made man, who was always thankful that God got him where he was. He was going to make sure his son knew that it was obedience to God that could make anything happen.
Early in the young boy’s life, the family moved from town to town. It could have been the father’s uneasiness with where he was at in life. Maybe the father was running from something. Or maybe, the father was just searching for a better life. Whatever the reason, the young lad would just start to get comfortable in one town and before you knew it the family was up and moving to another town. Eventually, the family would settle down and he would get comfortable again.
Some of those Biblical strengths in the boy’s father would be cloned into the son well into adulthood. He would carry the father’s lessons and codes with him. Sometimes it would seem he was veering off in the wrong direction, but as he moved further and further into life the father could see that some of his hard work really took hold of his son.
One of the strange twists to being drilled with a Biblical lifestyle is that it is easy to become socially awkward. He was no exception to this rule. He would try to fit in, but he would often tumble. He would then resort to a shyness that didn’t encourage others to get to know the real person he was inside. He would have no problems talking to the crowd, but close friends were kept at an emotional distance. He would know intimate details of all those around him, but very few would really know him. He was a great friend to have around. You could talk to him with ease and it didn’t require any return maintenance.
It is quite possibly the dream of almost all little boys. It is being able to be popular with all the little girls. Another side effect of being a little boy who is a little socially awkward is that the presence of the opposite sex seemed to stimulate nervousness, stuttering, and much tension. Although he really didn’t want to be scared of girls, courage was nowhere to be found. Standing in front of a crowd became easier than standing in front of that one girl that had caught his eye. So, dejectedly, he never faced his fears and the disappointment in himself grew and grew. He feared his life would be lived without a companion, or worst yet, having to settle for someone who really wasn’t a good fit for him.
He moved into early adulthood and the dreams that his father had for his life seemed to have morphed in a different direction. The disappointment he felt he caused his father, because of his direction turn, was soon replaced with a hope that he could make something more of his life if he chose a different highway. Maybe he could become a President, or a hero, or even a blog writer. He came to realize that life wasn’t about reliving or fulfilling his father’s dreams, but finding and trying to accomplish the purpose he felt he was put on earth for. So off he went into the land of adulthood.
He would find that individual with that special twinkle in their eyes. Best of all, that person would also notice the twinkle in his eyes, too. Their life together would build a solid team. Confidence was born and soon the talents he developed matured into useful instruments. Soon people would start noticing him. People would stop being surprised by what he was able to accomplish. Instead, people started expecting more of him. He wasn’t that quiet little guy any more. No, he had become a leader.
I would like to close this story by saying that he lived happily ever after: the end. But that would probably devalue the story. For you see, this is not a story of an individual, it is the story of three individuals. One of these individual lived many years ago. One is still alive and is still working on his story. One will live forever.
Thomas was the son of a minister. Like many of the President’s parents, I’m sure his Dad wanted him to follow him into the ministry. Thomas would even practice standing behind the pulpit when no one was looking and pretend to be giving the best speech ever given. Being the son of a minister was hard. He lacked a confidence in himself and became discouraged. Being humble was much more important, his Father would explain. This really affected him when it came to girls, especially at a young age when other boys were more concentrated on standing out. He would eventually find that special girl and his life would find that happiness he was missing.
Things started to improve for Thomas when he went off to college. He would start to find his own direction, a direction different from his father. He would even stop using his first name and would start using his middle and last name: Woodrow Wilson. You may know him as the twenty-eighth President and the President who lead us through World War I. When Woodrow Wilson would have his 333 page book, Congressional Government, published, his Father would read it. His father was so amazed by the book that he told his wife that he would probably be referred to as “Woodrow Wilson’s father” for the rest of his life.
The son of the bread salesman would be me. Although I was probably also a disappointment to my parents by not choosing a career in a ministry, my life through the plumbing trade has been very good to me. I have had the good fortune to meet many great people, with very good hearts, that may never set foot in a church because of their fear of the hypocrites that reside there. It is true that you may be the only church someone sees. My life has been so blessed by the twinkle in a special girl’s eyes, too.
The Son of the carpenter is, of course, Jesus Christ. Although there isn’t much written about His Dad in the Bible I’m sure His deep understanding of the Scriptures was in no small part a discipline His father must have instilled in Him. We are all glad that Jesus decided on a different adult path than the career His earthly father possessed. He would find and follow the twinkle in God’s eyes and we will be forever blessed by His following that choice.
Prayer: Dear Mighty Father, Thank You so much for the surprise routes You allow our lives to travel. You bless our lives, not by making it the same generation to generation, but by adding those twist and turns that allow us to see different landmarks. But, please, always keep me on Your path so that I may keep Your twinkling eyes in front of me. Amen.
