Several months ago, I lost my father. He was 81 when he passed away, having suffered with dementia and other health complications in his last few years, but he really started to decline in the last 6 months of his life.
For those that knew my dad, they know his life was one marked by some poor choices, but in the end, he made amends with many he had wronged and made sure he knew his Savior.
As my brother and I were planning his service, we decided to make a video capturing his life and put it to music. In the months leading up to his passing, during one of my trips back to South Carolina to see him, I came across an emerging country music artist, Larry Fleet. One of his songs was “Where I Find Jesus.” It was one of his earliest hits that got him “discovered.”
The lyrics talk about a man who was put in a cab by a stranger to get home safely from a bar, and later, about “finding God” in deer stands, hay fields, and even while fishing when the fish aren’t biting. The first time I heard that song, it spoke to me—and I thought of my dad. My dad found God in the most unlikely of places. While most of us think of God as existing in church on Sunday mornings, the truth is God exists everywhere.
My brother and I chose that song for his funeral because it fit his life in so many ways. Now, my dad didn’t attend church much—if at all—in his last several years. I can’t say that his faith grew much after he discovered his Savior. I wish that had been different, but I do know he “found God.” He used to say that our youngest son, William (who died in 2015 of a rare disease), had a tremendous impact on turning his life around, getting sober, and ultimately, finding his Savior. His often-quoted retort to questions about why he finally “woke up” and changed was: God did for him what he couldn’t do for himself.
Fast forward to a month or so after my dad’s funeral, and I find out that Larry Fleet is playing at a small venue in Charlotte in April. I tell my wife, “let’s go”—and we did. Larry had just released his new tour, called Hard Work and Holy Water. I don’t know Larry personally at all—he has no reason to know me—but a lot of his songs have a common theme that I can relate to and see myself and my dad in: titles like “Earned It,” “Hard Work and Holy Water,” “Having a Girl,” and many more. His lyrics are well written and feel like they’re from the heart.
I know a little about Hard Work and Holy Water too. My dad raised us to be hard workers. My wife once quipped that one of the things she loved about me was that I was a “hard worker.” Keep in mind, she said this when I was doing some yard work she didn’t want to do at the time—so while I know she meant it, it wasn’t as funny then as it is now. Give me a project or task and I will “get after it.” I learned that from my dad. He was a hard worker! He loved his farm, and I remember, at about age 16, my dad “making me” (as I recall it) go with him to the farm to bale and stack hay.
If you’ve never baled and stacked hay in a barn in July in South Carolina, let me tell you… hot, humid, itchy from the hay, and perspiring profusely are just a few of the memories I have. At the time, I did NOT like it. My dad would pay us (a little) for hard work. Then, after a long Saturday on the farm—tired, hungry, and ready for a hot shower—my mom would get us up on Sunday morning, and we’d go to church (holy water). Just one of the stories I remember about my dad, hard work, and the impact “holy water” had on me.
Now, I’m in my mid-50s, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. Thank goodness for that holy water that cleanses me, and for those hay fields that taught me the value of working hard and earning it.
So, what does this have to do with “Worth,” you may ask? Well, I think our worth is found in Hard Work and Holy Water, to an extent. When we put our “blood, sweat and tears” (hard work) into something important—whether that’s physical labor or building a business we’re passionate about—and balance it with the grace that comes from our faith (holy water), we start to realize our worth on this earth: to contribute, to make a difference in the lives of others, and to model these behaviors for the next generation.
Even if the outcome isn’t always what we want, most often, the effort is still worth it.
