The Best Father's Day Story Ever

Reasons to not have a post for this week: 

1.  Our daughter Elizabeth took her nieces on a nice vacation with her.  We missed them.  They got home yesterday and tonight we all met at Emily’s house for dinner and souvenirs.  I’ve had my head in the clouds. 
2.  We’re having our house painted.
3.  I have to go back to Garland in the morning for a doctor’s appointment.  
4.  I’ve got a new book that is calling to me. 
5. And, believe it or not, I’ve been knitting something.  Yes, I'm as shocked as you are. OK, it’s only a rectangular scarf but it’s still knitting. And I’m starting to really appreciate how much it relaxes me.

 Some bloggers would toss an old post at you, a re-run if you will, in cases like this.  That doesn’t seem right. I’ll just keep typing and see if something pops out of my fingers.

The best I’ve got is a couple of thoughts that have been bouncing around in my brain.  One half-baked and one fully baked idea that still needs some words ironed out. But even with those two ideas I still don’t have a blog and the truth is this:  I don’t want to be here

Plus!  Oh, here’s a good one:

6.   I’m not even sure anybody is reading this.  It’s vacation time and all.

So:  Here’s my fully-baked idea that still needs the words ironed out.  Get out your bible and read Matthew 3:13-17.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.

It’s the story of Jesus’ baptism.  As soon as Jesus came up out of the water “the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. ”

It’s a story I like to review for myself and others on Father’s  Day because I think it’s just the best Fathers Day story ever. 

Huh?

Hang in here with me.  You’ll notice the baptism story ends and chapter 4 starts a whole new story. 

Or is it?

 The very next thing that happened was that Jesus went into the Wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted in all kinds of ways by the devil:  Hunger, power, ego.  Three of the biggest temptations the devil could find, he threw at Jesus.

Two totally separate stories.  We’re familiar with both of them.  But we never consider them as one story.  And here’s what makes it a Father’s Day story:

Jesus’ Daddy told him that he was proud of him.  Best of all, God said it in front of a bunch of people.  “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

And Jesus goes straight into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days.  Whenever I think of this procession of events I think what a help it must have been to the Son of God to know  in the midst of temptation that His Daddy was proud of him, loved him, and wanted other people to know it.

I think if you left out chapter 3 of Matthew, chapter 4 might have been very different.

Our children walk into the wilderness every day of their lives.  What words do we give them to take with them on their journey?

For the record, I love my daughters and my granddaughters very much. And I’m proud of them.  I just wanted you to know that.