Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
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Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2003

Grace Church of Burlington June 15, 2003 I’ll never forget that day. First of all, it was a Sunday and I was going to miss church. It was a bit overcast. Pretty typical for central Illinois in early May. In Danville, Illinois, where we lived, some men would do yard work, some would go fishing, some would mow their lawn, and some would even attempt to get in a round of golf. I truly doubt that many of the other men living in Danville at that time have a clear recollection of May 5, 1985. But I do. It was a day I will never forget. It was the day that I held my firstborn child – my daughter, Charity – in my arms for the very first time. My life would never be the same.             It’s hard to believe that my only daughter is graduating from high school this afternoon. When I first found out that the powers that be had scheduled graduation on Father’s Day, I moaned about the unfairness of such a decision. Yet, as I thought about it, it struck me – what better Father’s Day gift than to see my daughter’s high school education come to a conclusion? Today Charity will officially finish her childhood education. Hopefully, she has learned much to prepare her for adulthood during those years from Kindergarten to 12th grade. But she’s not the only one who has gotten an education. As her Dad, I too, have learned some valuable lessons. Unfortunately, my learning ability is a lot slower than hers. I wish I’d known these things before I entered fatherhood rather than towards the end of it.             1) I learned that love puts up with inconvenience. Until the day I die, I’ll never forget flying out of bed in the middle of that first night home because of a noise coming from her crib, a noise like I had never heard. Though I value my sleep, I now had a greater priority, taking care of my daughter (and later my two sons). It’s love that motivates a parent to stay up all night with a sick child. It’s love that burns the midnight oil to complete a school project that’s due the next day. Charity helped me learn to trim back some of my own selfishness.             2) I learned that what is traumatic for an adult is a catastrophic for a child. Shortly after Ben was born, we discovered that he had a seizure disorder. It was very frightening for Jane and me. It was easy to become so caught up with his needs and our needs as his parents, that Charity was overlooked. I’ll never forget the look of panic in her face one night as we had to rush Ben to the hospital. Something clicked inside of me. It hit me that if this was tough on me as an adult, it was even greater for a child. At least Jane and I had some understanding of what was going on. Though Charity did not have a physical problem, she had emotional needs of assurance, comfort, security and love.             3) I learned that my uncontrolled anger was terrifying to my children. I come from a long line of rage-aholics. Though my temper was always much more controlled than the home I grew up in, it was still too often over the top...usually over stupid things. I’ll never forget Charity asking me one time, "Dad, please don’t look at me like that. It scares me." I’d never realized how much damage even an angry look on my face could harm my children’s hearts. It made me more determined to keep my anger under control...though, I still failed more than I would have liked.             3) I learned that even when you make what you think is the best decision, it still may be a real blunder. During Charity’s early elementary years she had a teacher who was...well, not the best. Jane and I prayed and debated about pulling her out of the class (and the school). We decided not to. Learning later that it was worse than we had realized, we wished that we had. It was Charity’s worst year in school and she had needless wounds that took a long time to heal because of our bad call.             4) I learned that while she was sometimes dubbed "Scottrina," she wasn’t. Charity is her own person. She’s not a little Scott or a little Jane. She’s one of a kind, just the way that God designed her. Though she does make some decisions that we would make and has some of our preferences, she has her own, too. I’ve had to step back and let her make her own decisions and choices (that’s not the easiest thing for a Type A personality). One of the first ones was, as she drew closer to adulthood, letting her choose her own music. I only asked that she not bring music into our home that violated our Biblical values. And she always honored that. But she did choose music that I would not have chosen. That’s a vital part of having your own convictions and becoming an adult. Charity is not a clone. God has made her a distinct individual.             5) I learned that even though I blow it, God is still gracious. I’ve had to apologize to all of my children more than I care to admit. I’ll never be a candidate for "Father of the Year." Yet God has answered my prayers and been gracious when I didn’t deserve it. Charity not only knows the Lord, she loves Him and desires to serve Him. I am so blessed!! It is so much more than I deserve. She is a tremendous Father’s Day gift every day of the year. And I’m so thankful for her and the many, many lessons that God has used her to teach me. Thanks Charity for being such a wonderful daughter!!