Becoming a Praying FatherНамуна

Praying Fathers Forgive

Imagine your phone ringing in the middle of the night waking you out of a deep sleep. Your heart races as you answer. A police officer says your teenage son has been involved in a serious automobile accident, and he would like you at the scene immediately.

You’re sure they have the wrong boy. Your son went to his room hours ago. He’s fast asleep.

You quickly check his bed. He’s not there. With your heart in your throat, you race to the garage. One of your cars is missing.

Putting the pieces together, you assume he snuck out of the house and “borrowed” your car without permission.

As you arrive at the scene, the lights, sounds, and personnel rushing around overwhelm you. You catch a glimpse of your son just as they are extracting him from the demolished remains of your car. You rush over to him, relieved to find him alive.

What are your very next thoughts?

• Are you angry because your son took the car without asking and then totaled it?
• Are you upset with him for deceptively sneaking out of the house?
• Do you want to embrace him and reassure him that it’ll be OK?

When faced with a dire situation like this, most dads would instantly forget about the car and focus on their son’s well-being. They’d quickly forgive and be more concerned about his injuries than the discipline they would administer later.

Being a dad ensures we’ll have many opportunities to forgive our children. At times it can be hard to do. But we have to remember that our Heavenly Father forgives us all the time. And if we want to be more like Him, we need to do the same – in big and small situations.

PRAY you can forgive your son as God has already forgiven you.

PRAY for proper perspective when you need to forgive.