A father's sorrow

A father’s sorrow
By Rob Roath

I remember clearly one day someone telling me that there is no greater pain a human and endure than the rejection of their children. A unfortunately can agree with this with a broken heart. As I write my realization of this wisdom comes crashing back into the forefront of my mind.
  Before me I see my own children rebelling right before my very eyes. A strange foreground to the audio bible playing 1 Thessalonians that is playing right behind me. For I hear Paul state something that I am literally being seen played out before a cast of characters I hold dear to my heart. He says that you do not rebel against the rule of man by to God.
   The unfortunate thing is that I also knew a little one that chose the same path in life. As a youngster little Rob decided to turn his back on his own family and go another route. Only after my dad’s death could this pain even begin to be seen in my own much wiser eyes. For what it is worth I could take no credit for this. I found this wisdom at the hand of my oldest turning his own back on me.
  It is a strange thing how pain works hand in hand with wisdom is it not? As youth we do not believe the harrowing tales of woe from the more senior members of humanity. It is much like listening to the tales of mythology or maybe of Santa. They are fantastic yes, however just not something that could possibly happen in the “real world.”
  Try as they may parent after parent then tries to stop their child from experiencing the scars that they themselves were to stupid to avoid. Just like the generation before they too will see their off spring fall into the age old trap of the sirens delicious song of temptation. We as humans are truly suckers for the same shell game that the enemy has played on the creation of God from the beginning. Now tell that to your Darwinian believing friend next time you meet up. We have indeed never evolved as the theory was sold to the masses.
  This vicious cycle although sad has a much more significant story to teach us this day. Along time ago I cried out to God and asked him what this whole miserable existence was truly about. “What is the punch line here God?” I must have said to him that day. To my surprise I got what I thought to be the incorrect answer. The wisdom that followed I have actually wrestled with every day since.
  What he told me was this. “Sin doesn’t really matter son.” “All I really want is for my creation to walk with me in the cool of the day as I once did.” Back in Eden the ever living creator of all made man for one thing, to commune with him. For some one reason of another the angels just didn’t do it for him. He like Adam to follow needed a partner, someone to share his life with. I have always found it interesting that Adam came to the same conclusion God himself did by the way.  Animals just didn’t do it for Adam either it seemed.
  However as it is with most things of this world it comes back to the temptation of Satan to man that undid what God wanted with his newest friends. As our kids do to us so did Adam and Eve to God. They turned their back on their father and were convinced they had a better plan. Now for just one second I want us all to think of the thing we probably have never pondered. How God felt about this rejection.
  What? You aren’t going to tell me that you think God doesn’t have the ability to have his feelings hurt are you? If we are created in God’s image I would say that indeed that day he felt yet another time the rejection of his creation. Do not forget that he lost his most magnificent angel Lucifer and 1/3 of the other angels as well! If anything my friends God knows rejection.
  So how did it then feel for God to experience the loss of these new beings that he spent so much time creating an existence for. Remember that he spent a good deal of time crafting the heavens, the earth, all the sorted animals, and most of all Eden for their delight. He then placed Adam in there only to find that he was not happy about any of it. Immediately he found that his job was just not pleasing to his son. All that was created just didn’t make him happy.
  Again God went to work to please his creation and created woman for this finicky son. The story continues with a long lost betrayer of God turning the hearts of his new walking buddies. God had enjoyed them daily in the cool of the day until the day that would end it all between God and man. We call this the fall. However I would say that this is more of like an adultery scene. He caught them in bed as it where with the one that had rejected him prior.
  The reason for all this reminiscing is simple. We must understand who God is. He is a father first, then a creator. He made all that we currently see for us to enjoy. Humans unfortunately had the smart idea to reject the giver of this gift, again no different than happens generationally for man as well. We prepare our nursery; get everything ready for the new bouncing baby only for one day they choose to turn on you and walk away from all the work you put into them.
   For it seems as though the only way we can learn as humans is through the painful teacher of life. We seem to be a little pig headed that way. The Holy Spirit, our parents and others that care for us can do as they may to inspire us to go God’s way however we would rather choose our own adventure. The results as we all know are exactly what we were warned of. The one thing I have learned in this life is that the only reason we are so very “wise” as adults is nothing more than the fact that we have the scars for the sins we choose to carry out. Nothing more than that.
  God wanted only one thing from all the beings he created I think. He wanted to hang out with them. He wanted to spend quality time with them. No different than us parents wants to do with our own children. However as we all know sin always gets in the way of even our greatest plans in life. This was as true for us as it is our God. What stops the quality father and son time with our Lord? Just sin my friends, just sin.
  Take the time today to make things right as much as you can with your God. Confess your sins to him. Let him know how you really feel about him. How he has hurt you and what is keeping you from getting close with him. Then do your earthly creations a favor and do what you can to mend the relationships with your kids. Even if it goes miserably wrong at least do what you can on your side to mend the bridge that has been torn down between you. Remember that God has the same sort of challenge restoring his relationship with you.