Start the Conversation By Dr. Juan Harrison
Start the Conversation
As Americans and particularly Texans, we are a hardheaded independent bunch. When we’ve done all we can, then we tend to say, “Okay, Lord, I could use a little help.” It might be cancer or a family matter stealing all your joy. The Bible says we have not because we ask not. God reminds us how much better father He is than we are.
Like a lot of you if the sky’s not falling in, or we don’t have an immediate pressing need, we tend to slap God’s hand away and say, “I can do it by myself.” One day not long ago it dawned on me that my personal relationship with Jesus and God didn’t feel that personal. I knew it was my fault because I tend to try to work things out for myself like a lot of you. I think that was about the time I realized I had been missing time alone with my busy lawyer son as he worked constantly to build his fairly new law practice. I realized how much I was missing time with him. Then it dawned on me that maybe God was trying to help me visualize or comprehend how He was feeling about me.
I had a habit of frequently daily thanking God for blessings throughout the day, sorta little spiritual crumbs, but nothing really substantial. Hey, we’re all busy and tired and tend to have fairly full days. I can’t remember the stimulus or the motivation to get going, but one night I started praying for all the class members having surgery. Then I added all those recovering from surgery and the list just started growing. I added my old backup work truck sitting at the repair place, and I quietly without words let God know I was missing my son’s attention.
As my list grew bigger, I included thanks and praise because God loves it, and the Bible said God inhabits praise, like any parent. Once when he was eighteen, Clay and I were returning from Louisiana after getting his knee cleared for Air Force ROTC at the University of Texas. I simply asked him if I could have done anything to have been a better father to him. He quickly answered, “Nope, Dad, you did it right.” It was a little hard to drive for a while as I had a sudden allergy attack making water come out of my eyes. On my 60th birthday from Okinawa Capt. Harrison sent me a message in front of my staff gathered around the TV they had set up in my office. Dang old allergies messed up my eyes again with that runny stuff where I couldn’t see. Similarly, when my son Ryan was pitching in a college game he sent me a message saying, “Whenever I look into the stands I know I’m going to see you and mom there to support me.”
I say this to say I have been blessed way beyond measure. I’m saying now as I’ve increased my communication with God that He keeps pouring more blessings than I can handle. He fixed my seemingly unfixable old truck. My son started inviting me to lunch and making time for an occasional call. God gives us the desires of our hears. Start the conversation.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
