With the Christmas season in full force, lives are busy, love is shared, and the warmth of family and friends fill us with joy, and we are hopefully counting our blessings, and realizing what fortunate lives God has blessed us with. You typically don't have to look far notice how much blessing has been placed into your life by our beautiful creator. Yesterday Devon and I worked at Calvary Community Church volunteering for their Christmas Giving Tree program. Yesterday hundreds of families in need had the opportunity to come into the church and find Christmas presents that had been donated. Families walked through the door, were given a free coffee & donut from the Calvary baristas, and then the parents went into a huge room where they could find presents for their children, and their children even got to go in a seperate room where they could pick our presents for their Mom's....and SOMETIMES their dads.
I met an amazing young man named Tyler yesterday. I was blessed with the opportunity to help Tyler walk through, pick out a present for his mom, and have it wrapped up so he could place it below the tree when he got home. Tyler was one of the friendliest people I have ever met with a smile and sense of joy that would light up any room I've ever set foot in. Tyler was a 9th grader, in a behavioral secondary school. Tyler lives with downsyndrom.
I got the chance to talk with Tyler after we walked through to pick out gifts for his Mom. We sat in the foyer chairs while he drank his Italian soda and ate his donut. As I got to know Tyler more, he opened up to me about the fact that He didn't have a father. He hasn't seen his Dad in years, and told me that he is probably always with his friends. He then broke my heart, Tyler told me that years ago, his dad left because he wasn't very smart, or likeable.
It frustrates me to think that there are actually men out there heartless and selfish enough to leave their son and wife, because his son isn't smart enough or likeable. I have spent 20 minutes with Tyler in my entire life and I have seen enough beauty in him to know full well that a man with any kind of heart would be honored to be Tyler's father.....God sure is.
MEN: When you make a decision to marry, or bring new life into this world, you are forever sacrificing the option to live for yourself. Often times you have brought new life into this world because you haven't figured out how to not live selfishly in the first place. So why does it surprise me that your son has to suffer the consequences of you being an idiot. Step up and stop being fools. The responsibility of raising your son is not in the hands of just women. There is absolutely no way that Tyler should be sitting in a church, approaching Christmas, feeling like he wasn't good enough for your love. There is no way Tyler should have to share with a stranger that he doesn't have any friends. If you're doing your job as a Father, then he should always have his best friend right beside him. If you weren't a heartless piece of work, and you were Tyler's father then Tyler would know that he is the smartest, and most likeable person you've ever met. I pity you the day you stand in front of God, if you have a Tyler in your life that you have abandoned, a son or daughter who will never know what it's like to be pursued by their Father. A man who doesn't provide for and love their own family, is worse than an unbeliever, and unbelievers burn in hell. Thank you Jesus for loving Tyler, and for loving us when we have no-one.
