Submitted by Pastor David Wynn, Tarkio Christian Church

Rev. Richard Fairchild once told a true story that he called “Priceless Scribbles.” A young boy watched as his father walked into the living room. The boy noticed that his younger brother, John, began to cower slightly as his father entered. The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong. Then he saw from a distance what his brother had done. The younger boy had opened his father’s brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page with a pen. Staring at their father fearfully, both brothers waited for John’s punishment.

Their father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully, and then sat down, without saying a word. Books were precious to him; he was a minister with several academic degrees. For him, books were knowledge. What he did next was remarkable, says the author of this story. Instead of punishing his brother, instead of scolding, or yelling, his father took the pen from the little boy’s hand, and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles that John had made. He wrote: “John’s work, 1959, age 2. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal. You have made the book sacred, as have your brother and sister, to so much of my life.”

The author of the story, now an adult, goes on to say how that hymnal became a treasured family possession, how it was tangible proof that their parents loved them, how it taught the lesson that what really matters is people, not objects; patience, not judgment; love, not anger. After a child is born, life goes on. If you ask them, the new parents say they will never forget that first night at home with their new gift from God. Nothing, not books or manuals or well-meaning advice from been-there, done-that, will prepare you for that moment when you realize that this child is completely in your hands, totally dependent . . . upon you.

It was most likely the most intense 24 hours of your lives. You didn’t sleep much, because your adrenalin was still running on high alert. In the days and weeks to come you had to reorganize your lives, merging the needs of your new child with your own needs. Sleeping, or not, and waking, eating and bathing, getting dressed and undressed, talking and singing, holding and hugging, and changing diapers. Did you know for the first two and a half years that diapers will need to be changed on average about six times a day? That’s 5,400 times that their child will lay on his or her back, looking up into the face of mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa while he or she is being undressed, cleaned, powdered, talked to, tickled, redressed, and then hugged, kissed, rocked, and played with.

According to the experts this ritual gives structure and meaning to a child’s life. Not to be messed with either, they say, because respect for the ritual needs of a child leads to respect for the ritual patterns of an adult. Reading the same story over and over again and not leaving anything out. Eating food at the same time in the same way. Dressing in certain clothes in a certain way. Don’t vary that routine, because that’s the way we do life. At any age. It’s a people thing. Robert Fulghum said that from beginning to end the rituals of our lives sustain us. And don’t make the mistake of saying, “Not now, I’m too busy.”

I am going to share a quote with you and then tell you who said it: “A small child waits with impatience the arrival home of a parent. She wishes to relate some sandbox experience. She is excited to share the thrill that she has known that day. The time comes; the parent arrives. Beaten down by the stresses of the workplace, the parent often replies, ‘Not know, honey, I’m busy, go watch television.’ The most often spoken words in the American household today are the words: ‘Go watch television.’ If not now, when? Later? But later never comes for many and the parent fails to communicate at the very earliest of ages. We give her designer clothes and computer toys, but we do not give her what she wants the most: our time. Now, she is 15 and has a glassy look in her eyes. Honey, do we need to sit down and talk? Too late. Love has passed by.” The person who wrote these words was Robert Keeshan, better known to America as Captain Kangaroo. As parents, many of the things you’ll have to learn on your own. And you’ll make a lot of mistakes. And hopefully you’ll learn from them, and go on.

I want to close with another true event, a fascinating story that comes out of the 1989 earthquake which almost flattened Armenia. This deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school. When he arrived there he discovered the building was flat as a pancake. Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!” Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he could not take his mind off his promise. Remembering that his son’s classroom was in the back right corner of the building, the father rushed there and started digging through the rubble.

As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: “My son! “My daughter!” They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school, saying: “It’s too late!” “They’re dead!” “You can’t help!” “Go home!” Even a police officer and a fire fighter told him he should go home. To everyone who tried to stop him he said, “Are you going to help me now?” They did not answer him and he continued digging for his son stone by stone.

He needed to know for himself, “Is my boy alive or is he dead?” This man dug for eight hours and then 12 and then 24 and then 36. Finally in the 38th hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, “ARMAND!” and a voice answered him, “Dad?” It’s me, Dad!” Then the boy added these priceless words, “I told the other kids not to worry. I told ’em that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised that, Dad. ‘No matter what,’ you said, ‘I’ll always be there for you!’ And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!”