Henry Bagwell

Henry Bagwell is my dad… Most of you, who know me, know me as Buddy Bagwell but my real name is Henry F. Bagwell Jr.

My dad was there as I grew up and I knew him. I knew his mannerisms, I knew his jokes, and I even sometimes knew a question he was going to ask before he ask it so I could walk away.

When I was a teenager, running amok, I did not have a list of Henry’s rules because I knew how he felt about things, I spent time with him. At the concert I did not have to look up rule 45 to see if I should smoke that joint when it makes its way here? I knew how my dad felt about that. I won’t say if I did or not…

When I was a kid I hated it when someone called me Little Henry but it happened. You see I look like my dad. As an adult one day I was walking by a window and my dad was on the other side of it. I walked back and realized it was not my dad it was my reflection.

As a child I remember thinking when I am a parent I will NEVER say some of the things I hear from my parents. One example of this is… There would be times when I was crying and, (I am sure for a very good reason), I would hear, “If you don’t stop that crying I am going to spank your butt.” Now tell me in what universe does a spanking stop crying. That was the dumbest thing I had ever heard and I knew I would NEVER say anything that dumb. Yeah… One day my young son was crying, (for no reason), and the out of my mouth came these words… “If you don’t stop that crying I am going to spank your butt.” How did it happen? I was becoming my father…

Last week I was reading a book about our relationship with God and wondered what it felt like for Jesus as He read and discussed the scripture. Jesus taught with such authority…. Maybe like He actually knew the one behind the words.

I then thought about my relationship with God. If God is my heavenly Father then why am I trying to learn more about Him from what someone else has to say? If someone wrote a book about Henry Bagwell it would be a fun read but I would not read it to learn more about him because I know him. If I have a question about my dad I will ask him. If I ask him he will give me an answer, it may not be what you want to hear but it will be an honest answer.

That should be my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I know Him because I spend time with Him. I know what He expects of me because I know Him. I don’t need to carry around a list of rules because I know how He feels about things. If I have a question about Him I ask Him. He too will give me an honest answer and it may not be what I want to hear but I know I can trust the answer.

I want to know my Heavenly Father to the point that one day when I least expect it I hear His words come out of my mouth. I can say, “How did this happen I am becoming like my Father.” I hope one day just like the reflection in the window, I that I can reflect my Heavenly Father.