Life Matters - June 11, 2025

‘’The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.’’ Teddy Roosevelt must have learned that little gem from Grandpa Lapp, because Grandpa was the first man this little guy ever heard that one-liner from, with my dad being a close second. Grandpa Lapp was the undisputed patriarch of ‘Amishtown,’ where he and Grandma lived in the ‘doddyhaus,’ situated next to the small stream flowing past the spring-fed farm pond, at the southern edge of the double-cluster of farm buildings, in the small Pennsylvania valley that was home to me for the first 20 years of my life. 

OK, while I concede that who learned the above one-liner from whom may be vice versa and while I confess to having rebelled against the patriarch of my own home, my own earthly father, for a few years, I never had reason to wonder whether Grandpa’s opinion should be respectfully and realistically considered. It was. And ‘Dat’s’ final word was to be respectfully kept in his own household as was his brother, and my uncle, John’s, in his household on the neighboring farm, a part of the cluster of buildings from which Amishtown derived its name. 

It has not failed to gain my attention that the title of ‘patriarch’ has fallen into disfavor in recent years, and yes, I have. Wondered why, that is. I didn’t just wonder, though, I also did a bit of research. While I make no claims of my research being exhaustive, I did learn a few things about the anti-patriarchy movement, better known as the feminist movement. While the feminist movement may have righted some wrongs at its outset, to which I concede, its present flavor seems more concerned with beating right things into disfavor, fostering the emasculating of men followed closely by its counterpart; the dishonoring of women, most markedly displayed for all the world by hyper-emasculated men competing in women’s sports. By claiming to be, yes, women, then beating women at their own game. Men, it turns out, are naturally stronger than the softer, more gentle, side of our species.  

Perhaps this judgement call from the Laws of Nature is an act of God’s mercy to call upon governments to return to a sense of the realities of common sense, as our present Trump administration is endeavoring to do. We universally have a sense of right and wrong. That which sub-consciously, and universally, is known to be true. Though that sense may be construed, abused, ignored etc. we all know, for instance, that it is wrong to lie and it is right to be honest. Some may think that so-called ‘white’ lies are at times in order, yet all must concede to the impossibility of a society to survive for long if nobody’s word on anything could be trusted. 

Neither can a society last for long where men are emasculated with disrespect and women are simultaneously dishonored. While we all concede that the natural order of God’s authority structure in the home has been abused, many times over, yet we need not be guilty of ‘’throwing out the baby with the bath water.’’  The late evangelist, Billy Graham, put  it this way; ‘’A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.’’ May we be found righting wrongs instead of ‘wronging rights.’ Some things are right just because they are, well, right. 

How many wrongs could be righted if all women reserved their bodies for the man who became her husband and all men accepted their full share of responsibility for the baby, or babies, they fathered? How many wrongs could be righted if fathers and mothers stayed together and accepted their separate but equal responsibilities? Only God has the full answer to that question. He will judge righteous judgement. But the statistics are devastatingly heart-wrenching. God bless you ladies who put your heart into faithfully, courageously, raising your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Even without the presence of their earthly father. May you daily experience God’s infusion of courage flowing from the throne of His grace. It takes a lot of courage, does it not? Courage, not so much from things, circumstances, nor people, but courage from God. 

If we are fathers today we will be fathers tomorrow. Even if the child, or children, pass on before us, still, God holds us responsible for how we relate, or related, to them in this realm called time. We need to do the best we can and yet say; ‘’We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do.’’ (Luke 17:10) Our only eternal profit is in Jesus Christ. God requires perfection, which perfection is only acquired by faith in the Perfect One, Jesus Christ our Savior; His perfection being imputed to us. (Romans 4 & Romans 8) Repentance is in order when we fail.  

Going back to that opening one-liner, the implication is; ‘’the worst mistake of all is not doing anything.’’  We make mistakes, but deserting our post of duty should never be considered an option. 

 God’s richest blessings upon all patriarchs and those whom God is still forming into one today. He is still working on making gentlemen who honor our women and guide our children to eternal life. 

Life Matters!