His father sat in the stands watching this familiar scene of his son’s perpetual athletic failures. He knew only one or two choices remained when playground team captains chose the son for their team. Yet, he understood their choices as his son lacked size, speed, quickness, agility, and coordination. These deficiencies amplified during the son’s junior high school years of participating in football and basketball.
Despite logic, prudence and wisdom suggesting the son lacked attributes of successful athletes, the dad kept encouraging the son, “Just do your best.”
During occasional breaks between tasks on their Kansas farm, or before entering the house for supper, they sat in the pick-up visiting about a range of topics including agriculture, politics—the symbiotic relationship of freedom, and responsibility--as well as right and wrong. He also reiterated the value of a man’s (or woman’s) word, along with developing and honing Godly imagination.
He spoke of the value of both the mom’s and dad’s relationships with children and the encouragement of pursuing dreams. The dad’s emphasis on the child-parent relationship permanently convinced the son to avoid any non-marital sexual relations. The son only desired children if they could enjoy the loving relationship of a married mom and dad displayed by the son’s parents.
Additionally, he instructed the son of the importance of worshipping God, studying the Bible, and singing hymns of praise to our Lord. “You must learn music in school, because it is very important in church.” Other wisdom included, “So what if church lasts longer than an hour. How much does God do in your life each of the one-hundred-sixty-eight hours every week?” The dad frequently sang or whistled hymns while working around the farm along the North Fork of the Solomon River, including Shall We Gather at the River.
In regards to politics, he frequently warned the son, “The people of Germany never thought what happened in Germany with Hitler would happen to them. We must always guard against this type of thing happening in the United States.”
The son frequently spoke of his passion to farm, and occasionally shared his goals of competing on state championship and nationally ranked high school teams. Because of the evidence witnessed on the diamond, field and court, others advised the son, “Get a reality check kid.”
Despite the evidence and discouragement from some, the father continually listened and encouraged the son to pursue his God given goals and dreams. “Just keep working, doing your best, all things (with Christ) are possible.”
The dad’s continual encouragement of and belief in his son, personified faith as the substance of things hoped for despite any visible evidence (Hebrews 11:1). He internalized faith and the resulting optimism into the son.
The father continued observing the son fail, yet maintained encouragement. A few years later, he witnessed the devastation in the son’s eyes as the dad shared the family had to leave the farm because of the bank’s foreclosure. The boy’s grandpa moved on this farm as a bachelor in 1918.
He listened and continued encouragement as the son painfully told of the lady he interviewed with laughing hysterically in his face as he shared his goals. Once her laughter subsided enough to speak, “Let me get this straight. You never qualified for state in this 3A no-name (Smith Center, Kansas) school, yet you believe you can compete on state championship and nationally ranked teams in 6A at Manhattan High School (Kansas), and you think you can place among the top ten in 6A State cross country?”
Controlling his passion, the son quietly responded “Yes.”
The lady resumed her amplified laughter.
That night the dad continued encouraging with faith, “Just do your best, son.”
The father epitomized doing one’s best, exerting every ounce of his energy in achieving God’s will for his life. He illustrated doing your best mandated honesty, integrity and faith while performing the necessary tasks for a job’s completion. He taught that in doing one’s best, we faithfully accept God’s results.
Five months after moving to Manhattan, the father—after years of watching his son hang his head after striking out, being thrown out, failing to make plays and giving up plays—smiled as the boy and his teammates became the youngest team to win Kansas’ 6A state cross country championship.
A year later, the encouraging father who internalized faith and the pursuit of God given dreams into his son, beamed with joy as the son sprinted across the 6A state cross country championship finish line in ninth place. The team earned another state championship trophy, and later received recognition as one of the best teams in America. The dad’s faith and encouragement enabled the failing boy to achieve his goals and dreams.
With a half-mile remaining in the race, the son continued running despite literally blacking-out—losing consciousness—from the intense pain. The son later explained how he kept running after losing consciousness, “My dad said to do my best. This included focusing on my vision, goals, dreams, training and the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life. My dad taught me that doing my best included reading the entire New Testament during the season, enabling me to quote numerous Bible verses during the race.”
Twenty-two years later—November 2006—the son and dad engaged in yet another discussion of life, values and faith. This time they did not sit in the pick-up as they had so many times in the previous thirty-nine years, rather in a hospital room. The dad suffered from hydrocephalus (water on the brain), along with receiving a lung cancer diagnosis thirty-six hours earlier. He requested, “Let’s pray for God to bless everyone we know.”
A short time later, the dad intently looked into the son’s eyes summarizing his lifelong message, “Always trust God. Remember that son, trust God always.”
“I will Dad, I will.” The son observed the faith and love in his dad’s eyes.
This concluded their nearly forty years of conversations. The dad died three weeks later.
As a grown man the son continues striking out, being thrown out, failing to make plays and giving up plays in this thing we call life. Yet, his dad’s encouraging and faith-filled voice and message resonates in his heart and mind. He continues doing his best, studying the Bible, pursuing visions, dreams and goals while adhering to his dad’s last advice of always trusting God.
Happy Father’s Day Dad! You directed me to, and encouraged my trust in, the Heavenly Father.
Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickemeyer.com
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