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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"God's Bittersweet Symphony"
July 10, 2008
I sat there with tears in my eyes as the girls were dancing to the tune of
Bittersweet Symphony. "How appropriate," I thought to myself as the
events of the last forty eight hours played in my mind.
I was watching my youngest daughter, and members of Luis Pabon's Style
Extraordinaire, perform in Access Broadway's National Dance Competition
in Mystic, Connecticut. Yet, I kept reliving the moment of saying good bye
to my second daughter, Sarah, as she prepared to leave for five months of
study in Sydney, Australia. As Verve's haunting tune played out, I was
caught between two worlds.
I am not so good at this parenting thing. As I sat there in the auditorium, I
thought of God. How does God stand back and let us go off on our own
into the world? He could have created us to be totally dependent on Him.
Then we would never leave Him and there would never be a chance that
we wouldn't come back. It seems to me that God built this heartache into
the system when He didn't need to. But what do I know?
On the way back from the airport, I made the mistake of listening to the
audio version of Tim Russert's book, Wisdom of our Fathers: Lessons and
Letters from Daughters and Sons. On the final track Tim tells of the day he
and his wife brought their son, Luke, to college in Boston. He recollects
how proud he was that he had raised his son to be a man, independent and
ready to take on the world. Then he left the room and admitted he had a
tear in his eye.
I listened to every word. I agreed with Tim that this is the measure of how
well we have done as parents. For the second time in eighteen months, I
said good bye to one of my girls and sent her off on a trip that would lead
half way across the world.
The last time it happened I watched my oldest daughter leave for a
semester in Vienna, Austria. Five months later she came home a bold,
confident young woman. She learned to make decisions and trust what she
learned growing up in our house. Today I am so proud of her. She
currently lives and navigates the streets of Manhattan like a native, There is
no doubt in my mind that this is because we let her go. Maybe God does
know a thing or two about what is good for us.
So take it from me, the guy with the bittersweet symphony playing in his
ears. The best thing you can do if you want to please God is to lead a life
that glorifies Him. Take what you have learned about grace, compassion,
forgiveness and love and make it a part of your every day. In doing so you
will justify His faith in You and the blessing will flow back to God, our
Heavenly Father.
God Bless. See you in church. Cal
P.S. And go and visit Him once in while too. Take it from me: You will
make His day.
July 10, 2008
I sat there with tears in my eyes as the girls were dancing to the tune of
Bittersweet Symphony. "How appropriate," I thought to myself as the
events of the last forty eight hours played in my mind.
I was watching my youngest daughter, and members of Luis Pabon's Style
Extraordinaire, perform in Access Broadway's National Dance Competition
in Mystic, Connecticut. Yet, I kept reliving the moment of saying good bye
to my second daughter, Sarah, as she prepared to leave for five months of
study in Sydney, Australia. As Verve's haunting tune played out, I was
caught between two worlds.
I am not so good at this parenting thing. As I sat there in the auditorium, I
thought of God. How does God stand back and let us go off on our own
into the world? He could have created us to be totally dependent on Him.
Then we would never leave Him and there would never be a chance that
we wouldn't come back. It seems to me that God built this heartache into
the system when He didn't need to. But what do I know?
On the way back from the airport, I made the mistake of listening to the
audio version of Tim Russert's book, Wisdom of our Fathers: Lessons and
Letters from Daughters and Sons. On the final track Tim tells of the day he
and his wife brought their son, Luke, to college in Boston. He recollects
how proud he was that he had raised his son to be a man, independent and
ready to take on the world. Then he left the room and admitted he had a
tear in his eye.
I listened to every word. I agreed with Tim that this is the measure of how
well we have done as parents. For the second time in eighteen months, I
said good bye to one of my girls and sent her off on a trip that would lead
half way across the world.
The last time it happened I watched my oldest daughter leave for a
semester in Vienna, Austria. Five months later she came home a bold,
confident young woman. She learned to make decisions and trust what she
learned growing up in our house. Today I am so proud of her. She
currently lives and navigates the streets of Manhattan like a native, There is
no doubt in my mind that this is because we let her go. Maybe God does
know a thing or two about what is good for us.
So take it from me, the guy with the bittersweet symphony playing in his
ears. The best thing you can do if you want to please God is to lead a life
that glorifies Him. Take what you have learned about grace, compassion,
forgiveness and love and make it a part of your every day. In doing so you
will justify His faith in You and the blessing will flow back to God, our
Heavenly Father.
God Bless. See you in church. Cal
P.S. And go and visit Him once in while too. Take it from me: You will
make His day.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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