A Father’s Heart

I know I’ve been slacking in the blog posting department recently. Sorry… or you’re welcome – depending on what you think of them. lol.  Jordan is my inspiration, editor and motivator so it’s hard with her being 6,561 miles away.  Thank God for Skype… 🙂 Sorry for the delay, here is a post that I hope will inspire all our parents, players and coaches to look beyond the result (win/lose) and catch this vision of playing and living for something more. I think we often focus on helping our kids be “successful/win”, the kids may even believe this is what they need most, but it’s not…they need something else much more from you than helping them win a game.

Here is a story that captures a true father’s heart…

Derek Redman was favored to medal or win in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 400 meters, although he had never won a medal in this race. He held the British record for the 400 meters sprint, and was in the best shape of his life as he stepped into the starting blocks for the race of this life.  Derek shot out of the blocks just as planned and he was running a great race until around the 150 meter mark, when his right leg tightened and something snapped.  Derek’s whole body shot with pain and adrenaline as everything came to a screeching halt with his mind racing with fear and confusion.

The pain of the snapping hamstring was only lessened, by the more painful chattering of his dream slipping way.  The swirling of fears, dreams, pain and confusion left Derek frozen in time on the edge of the moment when a dream and a hope of the heart becomes a reality or vaporizes into the air. Watching Derek I can’t help, but feel frozen with him. Imaging in an instant all the work he must have put in all those years, all the moments he gritted his teeth and pushed through, believing that his moment would come and it would all make sense… but the moment he so desperately wanted was slipping way. Suddenly Derek jumped back to his feet, with blurry thoughts and a sense of deep desperation bursting from his insides, he started limping on one foot towards the finish line, with each step straining to grasp the dream that had already slipped way.

Derek’s father was in the stands that day watching. I can only imagine what his father was feeling as he was probably the only person in the whole stadium or anywhere that understood what was going on inside of Derek that day. When a father really loves his son, he can’t help, but hope and dream with his son. He can’t help, but want the very best for his son.

When Derek’s father broke through security to come to the aid of his limping son, we can’t help but feel in our soul – YES! The overflow of love in this father’s heart is compelling him to take action! This is what a true father does for a son he loves. He comes to him in his moment of total failure and total despair and loves him just because he is his son.

This is the powerful message that every father should spend his life sending to his kids. You can just feel the intensity of the father’s love as he breaks through the barriers to reach his son! You have this feeling that this love he has for his son is coming and it’s not stopping. It’s a powerful love, unlike most loves, because it comes from a father that bases his love on the unchanging truth that this boy was given to him to love by divine design and NOTHING the boy could do would ever change the way this father felt about his son!

What is also so powerful is how we see this son limping along possessed to finish his race, scrapping to keep his dream alive for another moment.  The passion of the boy to finish the race is driven by this painful reality of his dream and his worth and his value and his hope all slipping away!

And the beauty in this story is how we see the father run to the son while he is still a long way from the finish line! He overcomes obstacles and even the son resists for a moment before giving into the embrace of his father. The unwavering love and intensity of the father’s genuine love is irresistible. He comes along side his son and embraces him, and it’s as if he emanates out of his very bones this truth…

YOU are LOVED

YOU are VALUED…

YOU are WORTHY…

YOU can NEVER ESCAPE MY LOVE…

YOU can NEVER GAIN my love, because you have ALWAYS HAD IT!

And with that truth imparted into the very soul of the boy he goes on to finish his race changed forever by this NEW REALITY.

This is the truth that every father should seek to impart into the very soul of his child. It’s a truth that has to come from a father’s bones, from his every thought and action towards his child.  It’s not always spoken it’s imparted from the father’s heart to the son’s heart!

If you impart this truth to your child you will set them free to love and not fear and chase dreams and become all that they were created to be!

Here is the race…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw