Yesterday somethin’ happened. The OG Lil’Bit and I were puttin’ the new meecrowave in and — somewhere along the line — I went from the foreman on the jobsite to the co-foreman. I wasn’t the guy doin’ everything with a helper beside me. I was half of a team puttin’ something in.

Hmmm. When did that happen?

Probably half a dozen or more years ago. Dads just don’t like to recognize the fact that their kids done did the thing they were supposed to do: not need to ask us for every answer.

My dad and both grandfathers taught me a ton over the first 18 years. I moved a few hundred miles away after that, and the lessons continued — just markedly less. I was lucky enough to inherit my dad’s sense of humor and the curiosity of three men in my life. All different. All unique. All special.

There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t say something one of them said, do something one of them taught me, and usually make a joke that started years before I ever told it. It’s in the makeup of who I am. I see it in me. I see it in my son. And I’m startin’ to see it in Lil’Bit already, before 30 months. (Lord help us.)

The reason I’m writin’ this is a scripture that comes up every now and again. Read it by itself and it gets a bit scary. First time, I sure did. But with prayer — and askin’ my Pappeye just what in the heck was goin’ on — it made a lot more sense.

In Luke, Christ was talkin’ about the cost of following Him. At one point He talks about hating father and mother, even leaving family, givin’ it all up to be with Him. Woah. I put Christ first at 13, and as you can read above, I definitely never left my family. So, as our title suggests, let’s GRAZE, shall we ….

He wasn’t tellin’ me to walk out. He was tellin’ me who sits in first chair. The same order that keeps the universe from goin’ cattywompus: God first. Then the people you carry — family, friends — and then the other things. You don’t make the folks who taught you how to hold a screwdriver into the god they can’t be. You put Him first… and you keep handin’ down the jokes, the work, and the walk.

Ecclesiastes says remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Yesterday the youth was holdin’ the other end of the microwave.

Just some thoughts from a guy that’s eternally grateful for a God always willing to remind him of that — and three very strong, loving men who showed me, every day of their lives.

Bible Verses

Ecclesiastes 12 / Luke 14:25-33

Questions

What matters most in your world ????