by Steve Hale
"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding" ( Proverbs 4:1, NKJV).
It was a high, lazy flyball to left field. A can of corn, a sure out, but, in my case, a lump on the head!
The Left Fielder for the 7-Uppers in the Livingston Little League had the fly ball go right through his glove and "clunk" him right on the head. And, to make matters worse, we lost the game!
What a terrible night for this "chunky" little left fielder! Not long before this, my Dad had bought a brand new Craftsman lawn tractor, one of the first in town. It was an 8 horsepower wonder!
A talented man, Dad did not get the signature sliding door over the garage, but built his own double doors. He had just washed the tractor off, and was about to put it away. Sensing a need for some positive accomplishment, his "star" left-fielder volunteered to put the nice new tractor away. Guess what? No one told him (me) that the mowing deck stuck out so far. The mower was fine, but his beautiful right double door was not!
I can remember sitting on that tractor and crying. What a failure! A missed flyball, my team lost, and now, crashing Dad's beautiful new Craftsman into his new double door!
Dad ran to the side of the house. To my utter surprise, he didn't see so much the broken door, or the "body job" on his Craftsman. He saw his son, broken, crying, and upset.
Instead of a scolding, a spanking, or a grounding, he gently put his arm around me and said: "You've had a bad day, haven't you son?" Through the tears, the chubby cheeks, buckteeth, and trembling lips I simply said: "Yes sir."
Don't misunderstand: there is a time to be firm, and a time for discipline ( Proverbs 13:24). But, there is also a time for compassion and gentleness. It takes wisdom to know the difference. I pray all of us dads will learn the lesson of knowing when to be gentle and when to be firm ( Ephesians 6:4). And remember to watch the ball all the way in your glove, and the width on the mowing deck!