Celebrating the men in our lives

     

     This week, we celebrate the men in our lives — especially fathers.  Let's begin with a smile, or two.  

     The Animal in Man   

     Man's descent from the animal kingdom has yet to be proven, but there seems to be no doubt as to his relationship. As a boy he is likely to be a wolf cub, as a man he may become a lion or an elk. In adolescence he is liable to eat like a pig and be as awkward as a bull in a china shop. 
     When he first dances with a girl he'll be clumsy as an ox though he thinks he is having a whale of a time. Under certain conditions he may sometimes be referred to as a jackass.     
     When a man doesn't agree with a woman he is as stubborn as a mule. If he outwits her, he's sly as a fox, and when he's hard to catch, he's slippery as an eel. 
     If a man looks at another woman after he marries, he's an old goat. 
     Eventually, he becomes as gray as a badger and develops the hide of a rhinoceros, says his wife, who still thinks she's cute as a bunny.   

— G.H.Hawn, Kemptville Agricultural School Instruction in English and Public Speaking   

     But, hey ladies, how could we ever survive without our men?  As we go through life, it is important as to how we "punctuate." 

     Consider the following thoughts, making sure you pause at each punctuation mark (commas). 

Woman without her man, would go insane.  
Woman, without her, man would go insane.   

     All of us have had a father. That was God's great plan from the beginning, as He gave the miracle of life. Some people have never experienced a father in their lives, and others wish they had not. No father is perfect. But a father whose actions reflect the character of God, our Heavenly Father, inspire admiration from his children. 

     

     A quote from Henry Blackaby, reminds us of the powerful influence of a dad in our society — 

     "The quality of the father will affect the quality of all the generations that follow. As goes the father, so go the next several generations." 

     Often our fathers spoke truth to us, even when we didn't want to hear it, while planting seeds of influence that helped mould our values and character. 

     Someone remarked, "While I was complaining about some insignificant thing Dad had done that irritated me, my friend simply said, 'I wish my Dad was still alive so that I could be mad at him.'" 

     To those dads who are yet parenting young children, be aware you are teaching daily by your every example.   

Two Prayers   

Last night my little boy confessed to me some childish wrong, And kneeling at my knee he prayed with tears, 
"Dear God, make me a man like Daddy — wise and strong, I know you can." 
Then while he slept, I knelt beside his bed, confessed my sins, and prayed with low-bowed head, "O God, make me a child like my child here — pure, guileless, trusting Thee with faith sincere."  

     No wonder Jesus said we must become as a little child to enter His Kingdom.  A little boy discovered an old Bible in the attic, opened it and found a large leaf pressed between the pages of Genesis. "Oh look," he said, "Adam left his clothes here."  ... The beautiful innocence of little children.    

     Dad you're someone to look up to, no matter how tall I have grown.  

— Author Unknown

— beulah