A daughter complained to her father about how things were
so hard for her in life. She did not know how she would make it and
wanted to give up because 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
flame. 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 up to.
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 quite differently. The
carrot went in strong and hard. But after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became 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 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 thereafter adjusted her attitude.
This story reminds me of the practical wit and wisdom of my
natural and spiritual father, the late Bishop Joseph Edison Bass,
Sr. Daddy had a profound way of reducing complex truths to
bite-sized nuggets so all his children (both naturally and spiritually) could
digest and develop. He was definitely larger-than-life, a staunch
defender of the Word and the faith, a paragon of virtue; but always reflecting
a father’s love and 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 speed)
to assure my compliance with his rule and my avoidance of his 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. While corporal punishment may not seem
politically correct today, our society, schools and families were much
healthier when it was implemented with consistency, compassion, fairness and
wisdom. (Proverbs 22:15)
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 both 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
just for us. We did not know then what a sacrifice that must have
been. What a wonderful father we were blessed to have!
Another random memory: Whenever my baby teeth needed to be
extracted, Momma sent me into the bedroom and those strong Daddy-hands pulled
them out for me. It’s a mixed memory,
and any pain notwithstanding, it was a wonderful blessing to have been a
recipient of his loving touch.
I was in awe of Daddy’s spirituality and the powerful
anointing God had endowed in and on his life. Mama prayed with us in
the morning before school, but those 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 an 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 have attended
the likes of Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, West Penn
School of Nursing, Pittsburgh Barber School, Roffler Moler Barber School, California State University, Mercer University, Fontbonne
University, Howard University, Liberty University, Duke University, Rhodes
College, Muskingum University, Ballet Virginia International, UCLA, Colgate
University, Case-Western Reserve University School of Medicine, The College of
William and Mary, Interdenominational Theological Center and Yale University. Despite minimal
formal training, Daddy (a.k.a. “Pop-Pop”) was an absolutely brilliant Bible
scholar and teacher. During my lifetime,
I have yet to encounter a minister with greater scriptural recall and more
revelatory insight on The Holy Writ. Dad trained us quite rigorously
and reproduced himself via dedicated believers, evangelists, missionaries, 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 an abiding 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 as we reflect
and remember, we realize that soon (and very soon) our highly esteemed Parental
Reception Committee, Mom and Dad, will meet us at Heaven’s gates.
Happy Father’s Day to every man who strives, proactively and positively, to
make a real difference in the lives of your children…just like my exceptional
father did while shaping the destiny of nine older siblings and his youngest,
little ol’ me. Thanks Dad!
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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