One of the things I love to do with the little bit of free time I can muster is read. Right now, am finishing up a book called “The Council of Dads” by Bruce Feiler…a book that explores how a father’s “voice” impacts the lives of his children. As I navigated the first few chapters, I sure thought he would talk about the literal and audible meanings of the word “voice”…you know, how Dad’s rich, booming voice can express his authority, protection and affirmation to the yearning ears and hearts of those under his God-given umbrella of influence? Nope…I was mistaken. O.O
Instead, and this is what piqued my attention, in the context of facing the probability of death in the short-term, the author describes his trying to find and assemble a council of fathers to surround his young daughters after he dies…a paternal cohort reflective of everything else he as a father represents and stands for (his beliefs, convictions, sense of morality, strengths, vulnerabilities, personality, etc)…his “voice” he hoped would linger in his absence. It’s been a somber story so far where the author tearfully composes and reads a carefully scripted letter to each selected man announcing his condition and the commitment he seeks from them on behalf of his children when he dies. Wow. Kinda heavy, huh?
His words reminded me that at any point, I too could be hurled headlong into my own mortality, leaving my children I care for very deeply without a father. That has prompted me to confer with God over these last few days, asking Him to help me decipher what my own literal voice sounds like in their lives and what my spiritual “voice” looks like in the lives of my four biological children, my bonus daughter in Suriname and all the boys and girls with whom God has enriched my life over the years. What has my presence in their lives created that I would one day wish to be continued in the legacy I would leave behind? What voice would they carry with them after I’m gone?
Yep…that conversation with God is still open…
What about you?
<εφημέριος><
