His Father’s Counsel

My son began work in a law firm.
After twelve years of school, four years of college, and three years of law school, he began.
Only a year ago, he passed the bar exam.
For the following year he clerked in federal court.

It has been a long journey to get to this God-ordained place.
It has meant a lot of hard work.
I sent him a text on his first morning at the firm.
So did my husband.

Later that day, my son and I talked on the phone.
Dad sent me a text this morning.
The first part was kind of interesting.
It made me laugh.

The text simply said: Welcome to Day 1 of the next 10,000 days of your career.
I audibly groaned when I heard that.
When I read that, I thought it was a bit daunting, my son said.
But then the rest of the text was really good and important to remember.

Dad is usually not the one to send pithy statements, my son reminded me.
Which goes without saying: I am one to send texts with pithy statements.
But then when he does, it is something I will remember.
My heart was full.

What did the rest of the text say? I asked wanting to know.
Do your best.
Make a difference every day.
Enjoy your work.

I wrote it down.
Succinct.
Practical.
Filled with truth.

I thought about what my husband wrote after my son and I got off the phone.
He really nailed it.
He was able to put thirty-four years of work and supporting our family in perspective.
Those three statements exemplify how my husband has lived every day of his life.

My children can learn a lot from their father.
They will do fine if they inherit his work ethic.
They will do fine if they think about how their little bit will make a vital contribution to others.
They will do fine if they like their work, since that contentment will be evident to others.

My husband and I always put education high on our list of priorities for our children.
We never expected them to get “A’s” all the time.
We did expect all of our children to always do their best.
We expected them to put forth their best effort at all times.

It was freeing for them to know that they could be whatever they wanted to be.
Following their father’s career path was never part of the plan.
Following their father as he modeled integrity and honesty and hard work was the plan.
It was never something that was a formal lesson; that is not my husband’s style.

It was something that was seen.
It was something that was caught.
It was something that was modeled.
It was something that was praised when we saw those qualities in our children.

My husband is a quiet man.
He is a man of few words.
When he speaks, like in the text to our son, our children pay attention.
His few words encapsulate what I say in many words.

I thought of the first part of his text to our son.
Welcome to Day 1 of the next 10,000 days of your career.
Using my son’s words, it is a bit daunting.
It is daunting to look down the corridors of time.

However, we are only guaranteed today.
We plan for tomorrow.
We save for the future.
However, today is all we are ever guaranteed.

Mark Dever, Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., said it best.
Today is what the Lord has prepared you for.
Today is all we really have.
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised to us.

Do your best.
Make a difference every day.
Enjoy your work.

We waste our time thinking of all the days ahead of us.
We live in preparation for then.
We neglect the now that is in front of us.
However living in a present reality is Biblical.

Echo of history
A light so many strain to see
The One we talk so much about
But rarely ever live it out

Could You tell me why
Was it for this You came and died
A once a week observance
When we coldly mouth Your words

Lord I long to see
Your presence in reality
But I don’t know how
Let me know You in the now

We should confess
We lose You in our busyness
We’ve made You in our image
So our faith’s idolatry

Lord, deliver me
Break my heart so I can see
All the ways You dwell in us
That You’re alive in me

Lord I long to see
Your presence in reality
But I don’t know how
Let me know You in the now
(Know You In The Now, by Michael Card)

The present reality of Christ.
His presence in reality.
His presence in the current moment.
Knowing Jesus in the now.

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)

I want to know Christ.
Know Him in the NOW.
Know Him in the present reality.
Know Him in this moment, the only moment that I truly have.

What if we all lived in the present reality?
What if we put all of our efforts in the present moment?
What if we placed the past on the shelf and turned our face away from the future?
Is it possible that we would be more alive in this present moment?

My husband said more than he knew in the text to our son.
I do hope our son will hold onto his father’s wise counsel.
I do hope our other children have allowed the fine example of their father to sink in.
They will do just fine if they follow their father.

They will do just fine if they follow their Heavenly Father.
Do your best.
Make a difference every day.
Enjoy your work.

The world will be a better place if we followed those simple principles.
All God our Father asks of us is to follow Him and obey.
He will take the little bit that we joyfully give to Him and multiply it.
He will use our little bit for the good of others and for His Glory.

Go ahead.
Do your best.
Make a difference every day.
Enjoy your work.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all did just that?

2 responses to “His Father’s Counsel”

1. This may be a duplicate message. My phone rang and interrupted my typing and when I returned, poof, the message disappeared! I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your book, Whispers of His Movement. My daughter, Jennifer Moyer, shared her copy with me. Since I am almost finished, I am hopeful that I can look forward to reading more of your work. Thank you.

   Reply

   • Kaye,
     Thank you for taking the time to encourage me with your words.
     Jen is a friend and sister in the Lord. It was a delight to accept an invitation to speak at her church a while back.
     I am so delighted that you enjoyed the book. I do have a second book, “Whispers in Verse” which is a book of poetry with a devotion following each one. I am beginning to work on devotional book for women and mothers. I would love the opportunity to meet you face to face one of these days.
     Gina

     Reply