1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy in the presence of God 1 Thessalonians 3:9). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 17:6;; 23:22,, 24-25

After my father's death, digging through his things in the garage, I came across his old tackle box. My dad was a rabid fisherman. But he rarely took me fishing and never really taught me how to fish. The last years of his life had been difficult, and that tackle box had turned rusty with disuse. It took an oversized screwdriver, some scraped knuckles, and a lot of prying to get it open.

Inside I found worn-out lures, dried salmon eggs, rubbery worms fused together, tangled line, and rusty hooks—nothing still useable. I started to toss it when suddenly it occurred to me: This is all I have left of my father—the same father who never told me he loved me, never told me he was proud of me, never even hugged me. All I have left from my dad is an old tackle box and silence. I was angry at my father … at myself… at God. Beginning to weep, I cried out to Him, "This is it? This is all I get?"

Suddenly God spoke to me. "Hey, big shot, got a question for you. If you were to die today, what would be in the tackle box of your life? What would your children hold in their hands tomorrow to let them know they were the treasures of your life?"

—Greg Vaughn in Letters From Dad

My Response: If my dad fell short, what am I doing to break the cycle?

Thought to Apply: Our children give us the opportunity to become the parents we always wished we'd had. —Louise Hart (author)

Adapted from Letters From Dad (Integrity, 2005) by permission.

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

 1 of 1

share this page

Prayer for the Week

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

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter (All fields required)    RSS Feed   RSS Help