| Home > Articles > Two Minute Meditations > "An UN Example" |
 |
 An UN Example
by Phil Ware
My dad was renowned for it. He could stretch a tank of gas farther than any human being I’ve ever known. O sure, some folks can stretch a tank every now and then, but he did it consistently. In conjunction with dad’s uncorrected far-sightedness, his penchant for stretching a tank took on legendary proportions on a family vacation to Lake Eufaula in northeast Oklahoma one summer. After repeated urgings from my mom to stop and get gas before we got too far from the city, my dad kept driving, saying, “I know we can get there on what we have.” (Thankfully this was in the day when cars didn’t get great mileage because we didn’t stop to use the bathroom in between gasoline refueling needs!) As we neared the cut off from the state highway to go to our destination, the car began lurching and sputtering. The fuel indicator needle was way below the E sign. My mom cut a nasty glance in my dad’s direction and my more expressive brother began to wail, “We’re going to run out of gas! We’re going to run out of gas!” My dad started swaying the car from side to side, helping slosh a little gas into the line every so often. The car would lurch forward a little more. Little by little we lurched our way to the exit and then lurched and swayed our way toward a gas station. A deathly pall hung over the car as we waited almost breathlessly to see if we would make the service station. To our amazement, dad kept going, lurching and swaying, swaying and lurching, as we passed the service station. “There’s a station down the road I have a credit card for, I don’t have one for this station!” dad said in his most chipper sounding voice, “We can make it! I know it!!” “Oh, Al!” was all my mother could muster at the moment. She ducked her head to keep from saying more. “Where daddy, where’s the other station?” my expressive brother questioned. “You can see the sign just over the top of those trees,” he replied. “Oh yeah, just past the fly on top of the telephone poll a half mile down the road!” I sarcastically muttered. Turns out that the station was 9/10ths of a mile down the road and we did roll into the station going about 15 mph, our last gasp of sway-induced, lurch-causing gasoline came about 100 yards before the station. “Well, at least we will finally find out how much gas the tank on this car will really hold,” my dad said in his ever-optimistic perspective. “Boys, wait a minute!” my mom said in her serious voice. “I want to talk to you about something before we get out and go to the bathroom. “Boys,” she said with deadly earnestness that went with her “you’re about to get a whippin’” voice, “don’t you ever do your wife and kids this way over gasoline. It’s not right or fair to put your kids and your wife at risk this way. It’s needless and I don’t want to ever hear of you doing this to your wife or kids!” All three of us chuckled a little bit, both to break the tension and also because it was fun at the time. “I’m not joking!” she said, “don’t you ever do this!”
My mom didn’t undermine my dad’s authority with us. My dad was a really good guy, and I’m thankful to have had him for a dad. But, like all of us who are parents, he had his moments that tried the soul of his family and furnished us what I can an “UN example.” I know I’ve furnished my kids plenty of them, too. In a life that is pretty well lived, there are still some spots to avoid. There is a way to look at the weaknesses of those who have gone before us and learn from them without labeling the people as bad, evil, horrible, or wicked. In fact, the Bible is ruthlessly honest with our heroes, reminding us that they all were flawed, leaving us many “UN examples” to teach us what not to do. So, rather than going on Jerry Springer, Maury, or some other talk shows to unburden ourselves with the messes of our past, lets learn to re-label them as “UN examples” and learn to do better in the area of our parent’s, hero’s, mentor’s, or respected friend’s weaknesses. Finally, I remember two other things from my childhood days with my dad that are especially relevant here. First, one of the things he passed on to me that his dad passed on to him, was this: “Son, I want you to have it better and I want you to be better than I was as I was growing up.” Second, I remember saying to myself on many occasions, “When I have kids, I’m never going to...” One of the great beauties of the “UN example” is that it helps me to honor both my dad’s desire and my own commitment. It also allows me to give thanks for the hundreds of ways both my parents provided godly examples, incredible opportunities, and gave me a head start on Christian living.
Author: Phil Ware Publication Date: July 28, 2003 |
 Heartlight only exists because of your support! Click above to visit a sponsor, or donate to join us in our ministry.
|
Heartlight is supported by Westover Hills Church, Southern Hills Church, and loving Christians from around the world.
