A Father’s Farewell to His Son
A Reminder to Us of the Preciousness of Time
by Mark Stubblefield, March 10, 2003
Several months ago, I witnessed a tragedy that forever changed my perspective on the time that I have been given on this earth.
During an evening drive on an icy Missouri highway, I was waved to the side of the road to help at the scene of a car accident. As I approached the accident, I saw a truck flipped over in the ditch with a man who appeared to be around forty years old propping up the neck of a little boy about the age of ten.
After the paramedics were called at the request of the man holding on so tightly to the little boy, I was asked to call the grandmother of the little boy to inform her of the accident so she would be aware of what had taken place. Not knowing all the details or anything about the lives of the people involved, I continued to be of any help that I could. As I watched the man talk to the little boy and rub his shoulders in attempt to keep him warm, the boy began to mumble something under his breath and the man replied with “Daddy’s here, son.” It then became clear to me that this little boy was being held by his father. I began to see the concern in his father’s face as his son lay cold and in pain in the snowy ditch along the side of this remote highway.
Shortly after the realization of the circumstances began to sink into my thoughts, the little boy stopped moving which prompted his father to attempt resuscitation on him which lasted for several minutes. The little boy was not responding as his father moved his limp body around trying to revive him.
I stood prayerfully on the side of the highway watching this event take place as it was slowly being etched into my mind. About five minutes had passed and it had become clear that none of the efforts were helping revive this man’s son.
Several seconds later, I witnessed this little boy take his last breath followed by his teary-eyed father looking up at me, unable to grasp what had just happened. The father of this boy began to scream over and over, “Please don’t leave me, my baby. Daddy needs you” as he grasped his son’s lifeless body.
After the paramedics had arrived and there was no need for me to be there anymore, I began to drive back home, crying and seeking the Lord as how to better understand this horrible event that I had just witnessed. Thoughts began to flood my mind and slowly I began to see how treasured every relationship is that God places in our path. I then began to tearfully realize the importance of the time that God has given each of us.
Oh, friends, how important it is to invest time wisely and direct the lives of your children in the truth of God’s Word. God has given us dominion over the time that He has appointed to us. So often we neglect to remember that every moment in our lives is to be used for the glory of our Heavenly Father. Remember that every second — yet every nanosecond — is not to be wasted or misused but is appointed by God.
Dear parents, hug the necks of your little ones and be grateful that your heavenly Father has entrusted you with the time to disciple them to be warriors for the Lord Jesus Christ. Neglect not the joy and the responsibility of training up future generations for Christ.
Let us remember that we are responsible for standing for truth in an age of lies. The world considers the life of a Christian to be a waste of time and a biblical worldview to have no real value. In a society based around humanism, it is of utmost importance not to waste a moment of our lives neglecting our God-appointed responsibilities, but rather investing our time wisely in things that have true purpose.
Be encouraged that your Heavenly Father is in control and do not waste another moment. As Paul says in second Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Let us fight the good fight and neglect not the responsibilities of our day. When we come to the end of the race, may we look back on our lives and know that we have invested our time wisely by proclaiming Jesus Christ through the many generations that will come after us.
I give glory to God for the truth that can be found in Scripture and know that no matter how horrible a circumstance may seem, we can give glory in every situation. I trust that it is an encouragement to each of you to know that the Lord has blessed you with time and I pray that you wisely invest it for the glory of your Heavenly Father.