A Boy Named Sue
A Boy Named Sue
Dr. Vince Hefner, Pastor
First Baptist Church, Cherryville
Father’s Day is right around the corner, and it gives us an opportunity to thank our fathers and those who have served the role as fathers in our lives. I am the father of four children who are now adults, or at least of adult age. I know they have not always agreed with decisions I have made concerning their lives when they were growing up. I can honestly say that being a father has been the most challenging responsibility I have ever taken on! There is not even a close second. The challenge to fatherhood is you do the best you can with the information you might or might not have on any particular situation. At times, I felt I was too hard on my children, and other times I felt I was too lenient. Rarely I felt I made the perfect decision. The creed to fatherhood should be similar to the doctors creed, “Do no harm to your children or yourself!”
In just about every decision I had to make regarding my children, I would wonder what my father would do in my place. To be honest, I didn’t always agree with my dad when I was growing up. I liked my dad when his decisions were in line with my way of thinking, but when his thinking was contrary to mine, I thought his decisions were not right. I am reminded of the Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue.” The song was about a boy whose father named him, “Sue,” and left town. The boy was teased about his name and was in a continual fight with others because of being named, “Sue.” The song concludes with Sue finding his father and the two have a knockdown drag out for the years of pent up rage from Sue. After the fight, a heart felt conversation took place between father and son that changed Sue’s perspective of his father. In the song, Sue realized that what he thought was a bad thing his father had done to him, had helped him in a number of ways. However, Sue concluded that if he had a son, he would name him anything but Sue!
My father has passed away, but I am grateful for his patience with me, even when I didn’t understand every decision he made. I’m amazed at how my father’s IQ has risen as I have gotten older. Sometimes I wish that my children could have known my father, but perhaps they know him through me. Anyway, don’t forget to tell your dad you love him on Fathers Day. Remember, you don’t love people because they are perfect, for if that were the case, you could only love One person, and that is Jesus. Secondly, you don’t have to understand someone to love them. If you needed understanding for love, no one would love you! Thirdly, you don’t love someone just when they agree with you. Sometimes it takes more love to disagree with someone than to automatically agree with them. The ability to speak truth in love is an ability that all of us could work on. Fourthly, don’t be too hard on your father when you disagree with him, for one day you just might be the misunderstood parent!
1 John 4:10-12 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” Remember, don’t give in to sin. Think about it!