As this Father’s Day approaches, I look to a future filled with hope.
I am learning a lot in this season from friends who have experienced greater hardships simply because of the color of their skin. In light of recent events, our nation is at a point when we have the chance to say yes, black lives do matter, echoed not only with words, but actions.
As a new father, I am beginning to see my role in my son’s life is in these three areas: to teach, model, and guide.
If you know me, I am a big fan of teaching moments. What I’m finding to be true is that the best lessons we learn are not the ones we hear but the ones we see. My son is at the age where he is beginning to become very responsive, yet still lacks the ability to communicate other than through grunts and cries. But as I am watching him grow, he is watching me. The life I model before him from the people I share life with, how I engage the hard moments, to the way I show love to others; these will be the moments that teach the most significant lessons.
I do not take lightly the responsibility to instill in my son the value of life. No man or woman’s value is determined by the color of their skin, the neighborhood they grew up in, or the job they hold. Life is valuable to us because it is valuable to God. As followers of Jesus, I find it as our responsibility to stand up for those who are oppressed. Standing with the oppressed has to go further than a social media post. It’s allowing our worldview to be reshaped by the experiences and stories of others. My pastor said it best,
“We will remember those who are suffering and mistreated as if we ourselves were suffering.”
When we begin to see each other through this lens, true transformation can take place.
These are the values I pray will guide his life, to see people through the lens of eternity. To say one life matters does not devalue the life of others. For God so loved us, he was willing to leave the 99 to find the one.
