After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo . . . Judges 10:1
I assume that it’s every parent’s job to embarrass their children occasionally. My mother was a teacher, and my father was a pastor, so I couldn’t get away with much at either school or church. I recall once getting scolded from the pulpit by my father for messing around in church. Like I said – embarrassing. In turn, I’ve embarrassed my kids plenty. When I think I’m whispering in public about that kid with blue hair, but my kids know that everyone can hear me, they groan in agony. When I gave the sex-ed talk to my junior high son’s class at school, he was mortified. Like I said – embarrassing.
I don’t know that there’s any great spiritual lesson in today’s passage, but it does strike me as a child-embarrassing scenario. In the passage, we’re told that after Abimelech died, God raised up Tola – son of Dodo – as Israel’s next ruler. Maybe it didn’t translate the same, but I’m glad I’m not the son of Dodo and I’m glad my parents didn’t name me Dodo. Hi, I’m Dr. Dodo. Maybe I’m wrong, but I assume Tola was teased as a kid about his father’s name.
Sadly, I’ve acted in a manner that has been truly embarrassing to my family. I don’t know that any of the other kids at school ever made fun of my children for my addiction, but I’m sure it was known and whispered about. Now, in recovery, my kids have had to endure me speaking at their school assemblies and graduations. When presented with those opportunities though, I’ve always gone to them, asking if it’s OK if I speak, and if I do speak, if they mind if I talk about my addiction. It’s part of my story, but as amusing as it may be to embarrass my kids, I don’t want to make them truly uncomfortable.
Now of course, I look at my parents with admiration and respect. What once was a source of embarrassment, is now a source of appreciation. I’m proud to be called their son. Likewise, though I’ve occasionally enjoyed embarrassing my kids, I’d like to be the kind of father of whom my children will be proud. My ongoing problem though, is it’s not my natural impulse to be noble and virtuous. It’s my natural impulse to be selfish and self-serving. So, daily, if I desire to live of life of which my kids can be proud, I must continue to abandon my way for God’s. I’m far more comfortable with my kids being embarrassed by me being a religious fanatic than being addicted to drugs.