A Father Who Can

It was a beautiful summer day, I think I was going into grade eight the coming school year. My dad bought me this red mountain bike, which was really cool because back then everyone had speed bikes. Only the sporty kids were smart enough to have a real mountain bike. My friend Leanda and I decided to ride our bikes to the new community centre library. It didn't occur to me until just now that I should have brought my nap-sak, the army green one with the leather strap buckles!

After signing out a few hard cover novels, we decided to cut across the school drive way which had these huge speed bumps. I managed to wedge the books under my right hand between my palm and the handle bars but couldn't really reach the brake handle. As I rode towards this hug speed bump I reach for the brakes, but could not apply enough pressure to slow down and gently roll over the speed bump. Instead, my front tire slammed into the speed bump like a brick wall and I went flying over the handle bars landing on my elbows and knees. The books went one way and I went the other. Being utterly embarrassed I got up and brushed myself off looking around to see who might have witnessed my sad calamity. Upon examination of the bike, we noticed that the front axle was twisted so bad that the front tire wouldn't turn. We had to prop the front tire up onto Leanda's bike and tow it home. Once home, I promptly hid the bike in the garage fearing some sort of punishment for 'mashing up de brand new bike'.

Three weeks passed and finally my dad mentioned something about not having seen me riding my new bike in a long time. By then, I knew I should confess my sins and suffer the consequences. In hind sight, I have a feeling that he had already seen the bike (since he was in the garage every day) and was waiting for me to come to him.

So I hesitantly showed him the bike. I approached him practically dragging the bike because the front wheel was stuck. I assumed the look on his face meant that I should expect the worst. Having nothing to lose, I plunged into my explanation of what happened preparing the tears to soften whatever punishment I would get. However, after my explanation he didn't say anything but grabbed a 2" x 2" piece of wood from the garage, slid it diagonally between the axles and gave it a good yank while holding the handle bars straight. That straightened the axle pretty good. After he put the wheel back on the bike was 'rideable' although you couldn't hold the handle bars exactly straight. To go straight you needed to turn the handle bars just a few degrees to the left, but who cares, I could ride the bike again and I wasn't in trouble at all. He was just waiting for me to ask him to fix it.

Way before this incident I knew my dad could fix anything, and I still believe my dad can fix anything.

And if he can and is willing, how much more our Heavenly Father? He sees and knows our moments of fear, our screw ups and accidents, but yet He doesn't punish us. In Psalms 103, we read that God does not punish us according to our iniquities, His mercy is as great as height of the heavens above earth to those who fear Him. And He can fix anything. He's just waiting for us to ask with childlike faith because He can and is willing to work on our behalf.

Speak the Truth

I've come to the conclusion that this world is void of truth. In this case, the world includes parents, business persons, politicians, governments, friends and individuals. It seems we've mastered the art of lying and don't feel the least bit guilty about it. Lying is safe because it ignores the truth which might be hurtful or offensive. Lying is common, because parents teach their children from a very young age that it's ok. Lying is accepted and almost expected in some areas probably because of the latter. Person's who speak the truth are often isolated and punished because of their honesty

Lying has become an epidemic of the worst proportions. Unlike H1N1, there is no vaccine that would inoculate us from this evil device. Unlike Avian Flu or Ebola, we cannot blame wild animals as the originator of this disease and claim that the virus of lying mutated and adapted to human biology and was transferred between species. Just take a look at your dog. Dogs don't lie! They will bark and bait you out in a minute. It's not because they are not smart, but because they have no moral centre that would cause them to reason how they might benefit from lying (ruff!). However, humans do have a moral centre to reason and make the choice to tell the truth, hide the truth or lie.

I can vividly recall working in customer service and seeing how consumers lie about minor things. I told a customer that she could not purchase so many items because the store had imposed a quantity limit to ensure that there was enough merchandise for the whole community. Not only did this customer lie to me, she encouraged her son to lie also. At the end of the discussion I promptly replied "When your child breaks into my house to steal things that are not his and he goes to jail; do not say a word. You taught him this behaviour".

Lying is just the beginning. When we are dishonest for our own personal gain we will often do whatever it takes to have and do what we want without regard for the consequences. If we can lie to have our own way, we display the utmost disregard for our fellowman. Therefore, it's not a difficult jump from lying to stealing. Both of these devices are used for selfish gain.

It is common for students to cheat on exams, lie on their resumes (and in interviews). But the worst is to have a friend who cannot sit you down and provide the honest truth about your actions, no matter how damnable that truth may be. There is zero accountability and often people suffer and live in miserable conditions because of a truth that was not spoken (lying by omission) or a deceitful story that was disseminated to blind others.

Lying hurts. I recall a student who cheated on everyone of his 5th year high school chemistry exams. He never put the time in to study, never did his own assignments and earned a grade that was not reflective of his true capacity. This man was a fraud. If he continued this behaviour throughout his academic life, he may be the one putting lives at risk in his professional discipline.

Regardless of religion, personal belief or cultural influence, there must be someone who will stand for the truth. If you have a friend that needs a good dose of reality, tell them. Risk the relationship. It would be better to tell them they've had too many boyfriends and they need to deal with the issue that makes them so promiscuous than to be a comfort by their bedside when they are dying of AIDS. It's better to tell your children to pay for the candy before they eat it in the store, instead of visiting them in jail for theft or murder. It's better to tell your family member they need to stop disrespecting your spouse before your marriage is divided by their fire filled tongue. It's better to tell your boyfriend that he has to fix that temper before you marry him rather than end up in shelter because your husband beat the crap out of you and left you for dead. It's better to leave that credit alone and do without until you have the money to appropriately allocate to that want, than to file for bankruptcy and lose your house.
It always better to tell the TRUTH!
BARK!