Last night at the Razorback football game, I sat behind a young family. The daughter looked to be around 14 or 15. The oldest son was around 12 or 13. The two younger boys were probably around 4 or 5. They were really well behaved. I wish I could say that much for the father.
Early in the game, when Arkansas wasn’t playing well, he whined and moaned to his wife and to himself. As the game progressed, he became increasingly sullen and distraught. It was quite annoying to watch.
The worst part came sometime during the second half when the oldest boy must have asked when they were going to leave. I heard the dad say, “You can leave right now. I don’t need you here. I don’t want you here.” Then he handed the son the key to the hotel room.
Several minutes later, the father turned to his wife and said, “I’m leaving.” Then he just got up and left. She had to explain to the children that dad had left. The oldest boy and girl were obviously confused about the whole thing. It was actually very sad to witness.
I heard them say this was their first Razorback football game. What kind of memories will those children take away from the game? Calling the hogs? No. Casey Dick’s 300+ passing yards? No. The great tasting funnel cake? Nope.
Most likely, they’ll remember dad bailing on them part way through the second half. It won’t matter why dad left, they’ll just remember he did. I wanted to say to the oldest boy, “Listen to me, it’s not you, it’s him.”
I don’t know why the guy was so aggravated. I heard his wife tell the children he’d been grouchy the whole trip. Maybe he’s under a lot of pressure at work. Maybe he’s just watched a dream die. Could be anything. The problem is that he took it out on his family. He let the worries of this life get the best of him and it cost him an opportunity to build some great memories with his family.
The guy acted like a real jerk, but I can’t be too hard on him. I do the same thing sometimes. I get my eyes off God and on my circumstances. Then I start to worry and get anxious. Then little things make me angry and my family pays the price.
The only answer is getting my eyes on Jesus and keeping them there and being reminded of the truth–He is more than able to handle anything that comes my way. He is always trustworthy and faithful.