A
FATHER’S UNFORGETTABLE WISDOM
A
daughter complained to her father about life and how things were so hard for
her. She did not know how she would make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired
of struggling; it seemed that as soon as one problem was solved, a new one
arose. So her wise father took her into
the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first pot he placed carrots, in the
second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a
word. The daughter sucked her teeth and waited
impatiently, wondering what Dad was doing.
In
about twenty minutes, the father turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a
bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed
them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee
out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to
his daughter, he asked. “What do you see?”
“Carrots,
eggs, and coffee,” she replied. He
invited her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did so and noted that
they were soft. He then asked her to
take an egg and break it. After pulling
off the shell, she observed the exposed hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. Then she said, “What’s the point?”
He
explained that each of the items had faced the exact same condition of
adversity – boiling water – but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong and hard. But after being subjected to the boiling
water, it softened and became very weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its
thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after soaking in the boiling water, its
inside became rather hardened. The ground
coffee beans were unique, however. During their boiling water experience, they managed
to change the water itself.
“Which
are you?” the wise father asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door,
how will you respond? Will you become weak
like a carrot, hard on the inside like an egg, or will you somehow change the
circumstances around you like the coffee beans?” His daughter smiled and adjusted her
attitude.
-
Author Unknown
This
story reminds me of the practical wisdom of my natural and spiritual father,
the late Bishop Joseph Edison Bass, Sr.
Daddy had a way of reducing complex truths to bite-sized nuggets so that
all his children (both at home and church) could digest and develop. He was definitely larger-than-life…a staunch
defender of the Word and the faith…a paragon of virtue…but all with a father’s
love and with a shepherd’s heart.
I
remember his firm discipline and insistence that we adhere closely to family
rules. One example of this is the rule
that we had to be home by the time the street lights came on. Of course, this represented different
realities in winter and summer. I
remember racing home from the playground or park (literally at breakneck
speeds) to assure my compliance with the rule and my avoidance of the
belt. Daddy had a gargantuan-sized belt
that he hung at the top of the basement stairs, and he was not shy about using
it as needed.
As a
child, I have powerful memories of Daddy’s big strong arms. He developed them as a hard worker and a consistent
bread winner, laboring in the steel mill (and in the church) to provide for his
family. And he did so without complaining. My youngest siblings, Edwin and Doris, used
to race (along with me) to meet Daddy after work. We lived close to the mill and we would wait
to see him coming; then we would run to meet him and retrieve his lunch
box. Although he worked hard and easily
could have consumed any lunch Mama had prepared, he often saved half of a
sandwich or another food item for us. We
did not know what a sacrifice that must have been. What a wonderful father we were blessed to
have! Another random memory: When my
baby teeth had to be extracted, Momma sent me into the bedroom and those strong
Daddy-hands pulled them for me.
I was
in awe of Daddy’s spirituality and the powerful anointing God had placed on his
life. Mama prayed for us in the morning
before school, but times of evening prayer were Daddy’s bailiwick. I vividly recall his Pentecostal preaching
and, even now, I can hear his unique voice, replete with echoes of uncompromising
gospel that was equally measured to all.
There were no favorites in Daddy’s pastorate, and in his words, “I don’t
care whether your name is Bass, Brown, or Blue,” whatever God says applies to
you!
We
are so grateful that Daddy (and Mama) were totally invested in our education. Having been born in 1904, our father had a modest
education in rural Georgia, but he insisted that we strive for the best and
brightest. As a result, his children and
grandchildren attended the likes of Pennsylvania State University, University
of Pittsburgh, California State University, Colgate University, Case-Western
Reserve University, The College of William and Mary, and Yale University. Despite little formal training, Daddy (a.k.a.
“Pop-Pop”) was a brilliant Bible scholar and teacher. During my lifetime, I have yet to encounter a
minister with greater memory or insight into the scriptures. He trained us rigorously and reproduced
himself via dedicated believers, evangelists, ministers, pastors, district
superintendents and bishops.
But
more than anything else, I have fond memories of Daddy’s infectious smile and
laughter. He was an entirely human, humane,
down-to-earth, Christian gentleman, who personified love for his wife, children
and grandchildren. Since he transitioned
home to be with the Lord (July 24, 1997), we all miss him dearly. But we reflect and remember…and soon our
parental reception committee will meet us at Heaven’s gates.
No comments:
Post a Comment