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Sometimes I call him “K-Man.”  At other times, “Smiley”–he’s got the best smile, which makes it hard when I’m getting on to him about something.  He’s one of the coolest kids I know, and he just happens to be my oldest son.  For those of you who know Kevin, you understand what I’m talking about; for those of you who don’t, let me explain, and hopefully one day you’ll have the pleasure of meeting him.

Kevin has a way of challenging me without him even being aware of it.  Not too long ago Kevin and I went golfing.  Let me rephrase that . . . I went golfing; he just wanted to drive the golf cart.  For some reason, he must have thought we were in a 4×4 because we went places golf carts aren’t intended to go.  After about 6 holes, he asked, “How am I doing, dad?”  The only answer I could get out of my mouth was, “We’re still breathing.”  I thought about saying, “Stop driving like your mother,” but I knew he would talk.  Seriously though, we had a great time jumping curbs and forging through water hazards.  And the sand traps . . . I won’t even go there. 

But it was on the 10th hole that God spoke to me through Kevin, and I’ll never forget it.  I had just hit an awesome, Tiger-Woodsesque drive . . .(it’s my blog and I can embellish if I want to) . . . so I’m in the rough.  After finally getting on the green, Kevin hands me the putter.  As I begin to line up the putt, I say to Kevin, “Hey, why don’t you come over here and putt this thing in.”  And this was his response:  ”Dad, that wouldn’t be right because we didn’t pay for me to play.  That’d be like stealing, wouldn’t it?”  

“Ummm . . .yeah, Kev, I was just testing your level of integrity, son.  You passed.”  Are you kidding me?  Now I know that there might be some of you who would say, “It’s just a putt, no big deal.  Isn’t that a little unrealistic, unreasonable, legalistic?”  Not to Kevin.  And in that moment of being slammed with a challenge, inside I was overwhelmed at what my son had just displayed.  Integrity.  Maybe he wouldn’t have called it that, but he verbalized, in the truest sense, what the essence of integrity is.  

Often times you wonder, as a parent, if your kids are getting it.  Here’s what I’ve learned:  if you’re speaking it, and modeling it, they’re going to catch it.  And that is true whether what you are speaking and doing is right or wrong.  They’re going to catch whatever it is that you are giving your life fully to.  Sobering thought, but true nonetheless.  

I have pledged my life to fully follow Jesus, even though I feel at times that I’ve trumped the apostle Paul at being the chief of sinners.  As well, as  I follow Christ, my prayer and aim is that I will continue to become an authentic man worthy of both my sons emulating–a man who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects God’s greater reward.  

On the golf course I saw a glimpse of Kevin’s journey to authentic manhood.  And even though he never took a putt, he by far had the best shot of the day.