Thoughts From The Field...: Happy Fathers Day!

The other day I ran across this photo of my Dad and I with a trout I caught at Diamond lake. It was 1959 and I was four years old. Even today I often think of the memories of my Dad and the family fishing at the lake. The sound of the trolling motor, the smell of the morning air around the lake, the splash of the anchor as we get ready to bait our hooks. Then there was Dad, he was always whistling between his front teeth. I could only whistle with my lips! I knew when he was whistling and telling me he was calling the fish that he was happy. I really loved to be on that lake and back in 1959 the fish were huge and there was plenty of them. Makes for a nice story and I am sure many of you have had similar experiences. So why is this story so worth sharing? I was thinking why do those feelings of being in the outdoors call out to me with such desire? Then it hit me. The memories that stirred that desire was the time with my family. It was time away from the day to day schedule. It was the opportunity to be still and know that I was in Gods creation. More important it was what I learned from my Father and Mother. It was in Proverbs 22 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. It was in verse 6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Being in the boat was not a substitute for being at Sunday school. Being in a boat with Dad was putting into action what I learned in Sunday school. It taught me how a Christian Father acts while on vacation. What was important to him was his family. Teaching us to enjoy what he enjoyed. How much different could this story have been if Dad went off with a few of his buddies, maybe did some adult things that are not for kids or the family. I was challenged the other day with a devotional I was reading about setting goals. What would I like to become? What one thing would I like to see God change in me? What character quality -if develop- would make me a better parent, grandparent, friend etc.