I was sad to learn of the passing of Tod's father. Last Saturday Joseph and I went to the Grace Church in New Market to attend his father's memorial service.
The service started at 10:30a.m. and we got there around 10:12a.m. By then, the church was almost packed. It was a big church with traditional wood paneled ceiling. But instead of long wooden pews fixed on the ground, there were padded chairs arranged in rows in the sanctuary.
I had never met Todd's wife or his family members. As the service progressed, I got to know most of the family members and the senior Mr. Rodman after family members went up to the altar and took part in the program to honour him .
It was a beautiful meaningful service as Todd and his brother shared what they remembered about their beloved dad. Todss's brother wrote a poem to express his feelings while Todd shared with us his thoughts eloquently.
Todd remembered three things about his father:
1 .His dad taught him how to build things with his hands
2. His dad instilled in him the value of doing his best in everything he did which helped Todd develop his good work ethnics later on in life.
3. His dad always put other people first and lived out Jesus' love. Todd recalled how much his dad loved his mom and would do everything for her. Todd acknowledged that he learned how to love his wife from his father.
It was a touching ceremony and I was deeply touched by what Todd said about his father and the things he had learned from him. As a parent, I reflected on what Todd said about his father.
To me, there is no greatest gift which parents could give to their children than teaching them the words of God and helping them to build a strong faith in Christ. Parents ( and friends) leave us eventually no matter how much they love us . However, if our children believe In God, they could always turn to Him.
Have I done a good job like Todd's father did? Todd's father has left indelible marks on his two sons' lives and made significant and positive impact in the development of their spiritual lives. Have I helped my two sons to know God and build their faith? Would my sons be able to follow God and have such strong faith in Him? Can my two adult sons see Jesus' love through my daily live and be compassionate and caring to others like Christ? Have I done my best and be great parents to them?
I admit that I made many mistakes in child rearing and my biggest regret was not reading and teaching God's words to them when they were young. Now that our sons have grown up and live away from home, I pray that God would give us opportunities to share His words and pray with them whenever they come home to visit.
I would consider we have given our sons the greatest gift if they could see and learn the love of Christ from our lives just like Todd has from his dad; they would do their best in everything they do and be compassionate and helpful to those who are less fortunate than they.
May God help us and parents everywhere!
R.T. Toronto
No comments:
Post a Comment