Father's Day Love

Here is part 2, or the sequel to the last post a bit late. I really thought I had published it this morning early. But here goes anyway.

The timing of this moment in Bill's life struck me in light of Father's Day.

The other phrase of scripture that came to him in that moment as he stood against a short wall among the bleachers in the noisy arena, cradling his tired little grandson, was this:

"...happy is the man that has a quiver full of them"

The full version is found in Psalm 127:4-5: "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate".

That's quite a picture painted here and I do not claim to understand it all but it does leave an impression in my heart. Our children and grandchildren are more than just a blessing although Bill would be content with that. Quite content. When he was young, he decided that while children would disrupt his life, if he didn't have them, he would regret it. Now, 35 years later, I see how true that was. 

In any arena of life, be it sports, the field of battle or the simple routine of daily responsibility, a key ingredient of victory, overcoming, is adequate motivation. 

How do we get it? Pep talks? While I would never underestimate the impact of the spoken word, I know it is the substance behind it that gives it power. For good or ill. 

In my life, and I feel backed up by scripture in saying this, the greatest motivator has always been -and always will be- Love. I remember well the love birthed in me for each of my children. It gave me selfless courage, strength and endurance I had never had or felt before. In Bill it awakened a desire to build a life, to protect us, to care for us. 

Talk about motivation. Talk about something to keep you going beyond your ability, about dedication, persistence, devotion. I'm not talking about perfection, I'm talking about motivation. Love is amazing. 

Our children are our riches. When life closes in on us, we can lift them up before our eyes and somehow accusations against our soul wither because of them. Who they are, their very presence in our life is encouragement itself. I'm still not talking about perfection but about family love, devotion, belonging. I'm talking about that quiver full. Deep gratitude for the opportunity and deep satisfaction for having done it, not perfectly, but with all our hearts. 

Happy Father's Day.