Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ~Ephesians 6:4
Many years ago in Spain, a father had a teenaged son named Jose. Like any father-son relationship, one day they got into a huge fight and said some horrible things. Young Jose stormed out of the house and said he never wanted to see his father again. The father shot back that he never wanted to see his son Jose again either.
Years passed and the father regretted what had happened but had no way to contact his prodigal son. The pain of separation became too much to bear and he searched all throughout Spain but to no avail. His son had disappeared.
Arriving in the capital of Madrid desperate, the father decided to buy an ad in the city’s newspaper that read, “My son—Jose—I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you and the horrible things I said in my anger. Please, please, will you forgive me? I beg you! I’ve looked all over Spain for you and this is my last hope of finding you. I want to see you again. I want you to be my son. I want to be your father. I will be at the Plaza fountain every day this week at noon. Please meet me there. Your loving father.”
Legend has it that hundreds of young men named Jose came to that Plaza fountain longing to re-establish a lost relationship with their father. Can you relate to this story?
It’s never too late to make it right with a son, daughter or father.
There may be skeptics reading this thinking, “Come on, this is just a story. It’s not true.”
Maybe, but I know the one I’m about to tell you is true because I witnessed it first hand. While speaking in Indiana this year a giant of a man asked for prayer. He confessed that he hadn’t been the man or father God had called him to be and because of that he had no idea where his teenage son lived and hadn’t seen him in years.
Like Jose’s father, he wanted to make it right but felt powerless to do so. We prayed together and two days later I received this email.
“I’m the big guy who spoke with you about my son who I have not seen or communicated with in years. After talking, you prayed with me. A lot has happened since we prayed. The next day my son contacted me for the first time in years, and as I write this, I’m getting ready to pick him up and bring him back home! I just wanted to let know and that God answered our prayers. Dave.”
It’s never too late to make up for lost time. It’s never too late for God to work in wounded relationships. It’s never too late to make it right.
