Now that it’s officially 2012 every Dad should take some time to think about what he can do in 2012 that really matters.
The Lord’s Prayer tells us to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us………
Unconditional forgiveness has no strings attached. Sometimes, that can be tough for Dads to do.
A wise old Dad once said, “Until you have been hurt & until you have suffered, you will never understand the pain & suffering of others.”
I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I needed to forgive and my forgiveness was needed my someone but I wasn’t able to unconditionally & completely forgive someone without the grace of God, after they hurt me or one of my loved ones.
As Tommy & his big sister Myra slept on our way to see my brother in the ICU hours after a horrible crash left him in a coma on 2/28/1980 I knew I would have to find the courage & strength somewhere to forgive the eighteen year old drunk driver who crashed his car into Verne’s car; and my forgiveness would have to come soon so a grudge didn’t begin to form in my mind & heart because after the accident, the other driver was treated & released from the hospital as Verne was being treated in the ICU.
It always seemed to me that making the decision to hold a grudge against someone who has wronged or hurt me would be like asking a doctor for a “Terminal Cancer Implant,” because I know holding a grudge would eat me alive. If there was ever a time for unconditional forgiveness to prevent a grudge from taking root inside of me, this was the time…………a few hours after the crash.
I decided right then & there to call the other driver from my parents house to forgive him before we visited Verne in the hospital. When I told Mom & Dad about my plan, Mom smiled silently with a nod of approval & Dad, (another Tom Riles) told me I was “Off my rocker.” Moments later I prayerfully asked God for the courage, strength, & peace I would need then unconditionally forgave the other driver & his parents in a phone call I am still happy I made nearly thirty two years later on this first day of 2012
Making that unforgettable call would never have been possible without placing myself & my concerns at that moment in my loving God’s hands as I dialed the phone & unconditionally forgiving the young driver that hit my brother was another step I needed to take to prepare myself to see Verne in a coma on that first day of what would eventually be four long years leading up to his death at age thirty three.
It’s humanly impossible to forgive those who have hurt us Dads or one of our loved ones, but God always gives us the grace & strength we need to forgive when we prayerfully ask for His help.
So, on this first day of our New Year when we are supposed to be starting off with a clean slate, let’s set a good example as all Dads are called to do for our wives & children by seeking forgiveness if we have been hurt & granting unconditionl forgiveness to those who who have hurt us.
My New Years wish for all Dads, is that we will seek God’s help the day we are hurt that will allow us to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
Happy and Healthy New Year to all,
Tom Riles, Sr.