(Father’s Day)
Standing at home plate during Little League baseball
practice I was acutely aware of his stubble beard, tobacco tinged breath, hairy arms
and fading after-shave. He stood close
behind, arms encircling mine and his hands showing me the best grip on the bat.
We took several shadow swings together to calibrate the trajectory of a level
swing. During the season, I never
actually got a productive hit, never mind a homerun. My coach never showed disappointment at my
performance. He knew I was giving it my
best effort. My coach was my dad, Lionel
Francis Sexton.
Dad was all about teaching the fundamentals of the not
only baseball but of life. He instilled in each of his five sons that we were
to see ourselves as leaders irrespective of our station in life. For him
leadership was the doorway to success measured by any standard, temporal or
eternal. Taking the initiative to leave
the world a better place with a focus on future generations was part and parcel
of the Sexton Family Ethos. His personal character was built on integrity,
supported by principled ideals of honor, selfless-service and compassion; and
cemented together by a genuine love of his family.
A major influence of my dad on my own sense of fatherhood
was the belief that a key role of a father is to provide vision for his spouse
and kids. From this I claimed my own
responsibility to study each of my precious kids with a view to holding a
picture of their respective futures until they had discerned God’s leading in
their lives. As a Christian dad I believe that my leadership for my kids
entailed discerning how God had created each one with a unique temperamental
reflection of Christ’s character and call. For example, Ryan manifests Christ
the Priest in his “for others” bent; Ian’s persona is that of Christ the
Prophet, having a fierce commitment to integrity in himself and others; Colin is all about Christ the King, with his
love of engineering working out a dominion-focus on the earth. Sara in her gentle personable manner exudes
Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Albeit an imperfect man, my dad possessed a sense of
graciousness. I never knew him as one to hold a grudge or seek to get even when
wronged. If anything, his biggest struggle was in being able to forgive
himself. This would eventually claim his life in suicide during my high school
senior year. His sudden tragic absence from my life was (is) a tremendous
wound. During the years since that loss I have been blessed to know the
faithful reality of God as my Father. He has lovingly kept His promise to be a
father to the fatherless (Psalm 10:14).
Effective fathers model two key aspects of God’s
personhood. At once and the same time, God’s holiness evokes a sense of awe and
humility in His covenant children (Isaiah 6: 5) while at the same time we find
Him approachable through the blood sacrifice of His unique son, Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:18; 3:12) My kids have their own pet names for me indicating their
comfort in having access to my heart. Whether it is “Pops”, “Dada”, “Father”,
or “Daddy”, I am ever waiting to hear from each of them and learn what is on
their hearts. “Thank you, Abba for letting me come and sit in your lap;
especially when I not so sure how I’m doing as a dad.”
See you at the Potter's wheel!
G.K. Sexton
 |
| Into your hands I commend my spirit |
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,whereby we cry, "Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15 (ESV)
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