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Key Bible Verse: Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how Hebrews 12:10). Bonus Reading: Hebrews 12:5-11

Jeff learned that his father had been raised by a philanderer of a father and an alcoholic mother, and left home at 17. All he could do, Jeff decided, was to love his dad with the love of Christ. As he did, the brittleness between father and son began softening. That softening spread to siblings who'd vowed to never forgive the man who hurt them so badly.

In 1996, when his father's wife died, Jeff's brothers and sisters were reunited with their dad. Breaking down and weeping, he admitted he'd betrayed his wife and children. At his children's invitation, he moved to be closer to them. "It was the first time I'd seen my mother and my father together in the same living room," said Jeff. "We gave him 5x7 pictures to help him with the names of 17 grandchildren he needed to get to know."

Later, Jeff, his father, and two brothers played golf together. On the last green, the father exclaimed, "I can't believe how all six of you kids have forgiven me. It's unreal!"

"What's going on is bigger than your kids, Dad," said Jeff. "It's about a very real God in heaven who gives second chances, who wants you to experience His unreal love and forgiveness."

—Bob Welch in A Father for All Seasons

My Response: To whom do I need to offer forgiveness and a second chance?

Thought to Apply: Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them. —Oscar Wilde (Irish playwright)

Adapted from Father for All Seasons (Harvest, 1998) by permission.

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me to grasp how it is that You expect me, as a grown-up, to honor my parents.

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