A Father to the Fatherless

In a recent Facebook post, I read a story about Peyton Manning. I don’t know if it’s true or not, and if it’s not true it should be, because it touched my heart. I’ll bet it will touch yours, too.
 
It was a typical Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts were playing at home. Crowds flooded the stadium, jerseys were waving, and chants filled the air with echoing. In section 313, a boy named Charlie, just 10 years old, sat alone. Well…not entirely alone. His mother was beside him. But she couldn’t stop glancing at the seat next to Charlie…the one that was supposed to be filled. That seat had belonged to Charlie’s dad. He was a firefighter. He’d passed away in the line of duty just two months before. The tickets were a birthday gift. His father had bought them in advance. Charlie had worn his dad’s Colts cap, and he sat in silence the whole first quarter, clutching a small photo of them together. Someone in the staff noticed. Word reached the Colts locker room. And during halftime, something unexpected happened. A security guard approached. “Charlie? Would you like to meet someone?”
 
They were led down a hallway. And waiting there, still in uniform, a towel around his neck, was Peyton Manning. He knelt down and said: “Heard it’s your first game without your biggest fan. I figured I could fill in—just for today.” Charlie didn’t say anything. He just nodded and started to cry. Peyton hugged him, then handed him a wristband from the game and signed his cap. Then he whispered something only Charlie heard. Charlie’s mom said later that Peyton told her son, “He’s proud of you. I can tell.” And then she said, “That one sentence healed something I didn’t know was broken.” The game ended, and the Colts won. But the victory that day wasn’t measured in points. The victory was in one little boy’s heart who had been seen. He didn’t have a father at the game that day, but Peyton Manning made sure Charlie didn’t feel alone.
 
Psalm 68:4-6 says, “Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families….” Sometimes, days like Father’s Day can be painful if our fathers are gone, or if they have not been very stellar and we feel there is nobody worth celebrating. That’s when we can remember that God is a good and loving Father to all. And, maybe, if you are feeling alone in this special season, you can become aware of special men God has placed in your life—whether that person is a kind neighbor, a husband, a friend unrelated biologically, or your church family.
 
Or…perhaps there is someone you know that could use the example or encouragement of a godly man in their life…someone for whom you could be the one who shows them God’s love.
 
Happy Father’s Day to all who are either raising kids in the Lord or being a godly mentor to someone.
 
Tyler

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