James Dobson, Sr. and James Dobson, Jr. (approx. 1956)
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James Dobson, Christian psychologist and author, died this past August at the age of 89. In this 2017 post from his website, he describes the last time he visited his father. The visit ended with this prayer of thanks.
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In August 1977, my wife and children joined me on a trip to Kansas City, Missouri, for a short visit with my parents. We enjoyed several days of family togetherness before it was time to leave. As we drove to the airport where we said good-bye, I asked my father to pray for us. I will never forget his words. He closed with this thought:
Lord, we thank You for these days together and for the love that we feel for each other today. This has been a special time for us with Jim and Shirley and their children. But Heavenly Father, we are keenly aware that the joy that is ours today is a temporary pleasure. Our lives will not always be this stable and secure. Change is inevitable and it will come to us, too. We will accept it when it comes, of course, but we give You praise for the happiness and warmth that has been ours these past few days. We have had more than our share of the good things, and we thank You for Your love. Amen.
Shortly thereafter, we hugged and said good-bye, and my family boarded the plane. A week later, my father suddenly grabbed his chest and told my mother to call the paramedics. He left us on December 4 of that year. He was only 66 years old. Shortly after, my mother joined him in heaven. How quickly life changes! Even today, so many years later, my dad’s final prayer echoes in my mind. An entire philosophy is contained in that simple idea. “Thank You, God, for what we have…which we know we cannot keep.” I wish we could all keep in mind that incredible concept.
If only we realized how brief our time is on earth, then most of the irritants and frustrations which drive us apart would seem terribly insignificant and petty. We have but one short life to live, yet we contaminate it with bickering and insults and angry words. If we fully comprehended the brevity of life, our greatest desire would be to please God and to serve one another. Instead, the illusions of permanence leads us to scrap and claw for power and demand the best for ourselves.
But when all is said and done, what will really matter? When the books are closing on your life, I believe your treasures will lie close to home. Your most precious memories will focus on those you love, those who loved you, and what you did together in the service of the Lord. Those are the basics. Nothing else will survive the scrutiny of time.
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Psalm 90:12 — Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
James 4:13-15 — Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
Isaiah 40:6b-8 — All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Psalm 103:13-18:
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
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O God, our heavenly Father, look in favor upon the homes of thy people; defend them against all evil, and supply all their needs according to the riches of thy grace; make them sanctuaries of purity and peace, love and joy. Bless all who are dear to us wheresoever they are, and grant that they and we may follow thee at every step of our daily life; that though our paths may lead us far from one another, we may all abide within the safe shelter of thy love; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal, 1958, Augsburg Publishing House.
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