Here’s one of my secrets: I really do want to be Mr. Rogers when I grow up. Perhaps you’re younger than 40, live outside the U.S. or didn’t own a television in the 80’s or 90’s. But for the rest of us, Fred Rogers was an American icon during his kids show that ran for more than three decades. In the 2019 movie about his life, we see him walk alongside a reporter who has major anger issues and in particular, is harboring deep resentment towards his own father. This past weekend, our pastor talked through this movie and did a masterful job of extracting spiritual insight from Fred’s approach and heart. Of the myriad lessons we could snag, here’s a big one: to be set free from anger and bitterness, we often must forgive someone. For dads, we live this lesson in two ways. First, we must be forgiving people ourselves. Second, we must teach our children to forgive others. The challenge for many of us? We’re trying to do that second thing before we’ve done the first one. If you’ve never baked a cake, good luck teaching someone else how to do it. (Incidentally, Fred was a masterful asker-listener, a great case study for dads!). In Ephesians, Paul puts it this way, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:31-32 ESV)

Pornography and marriage: Why it’s bad for a relationship: It’s been said that character is what you do behind closed doors. Nothing proves the truth of that maxim more clearly than pornography. Over time, what seems harmless and personal can eat away at the men God calls us to be and the marriages He calls us to protect.

Learning to kick entitlement to the curb: One problem with the rat race is that it turns us all into rats more than we care to admit. As guys, it’s easy to let feelings of entitlement seep in and poison the well of our lives. We get so worked up chasing the next big thing that we miss what God has put right in front of us. We let our first-world problems blind us to blessings many can only dream of. As Christ followers, though, we’re called to a different standard. Instead of wallowing in entitlement, God has wired our hearts for gratitude and generosity. He’s changed the rules—and we’re actually at our best when we’re putting ourselves on the back burner.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes

“It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.” – Francis of Assisi

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” – Thomas Fuller

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” – Corrie Ten Boom

Forgive. Who do you need to forgive? Perhaps, like the reporter in the film, it is your own father. Maybe it’s a friend, spouse, child or that barista who got your order wrong. Whether the offense was catastrophic or trivial, as believers we’re called to forgive. And, our role model Jesus Christ was the perfect example of real-time forgiveness. He didn’t wait and harbor and stew. He showed us how to forgive, even as the offense was being committed. Let’s become quick-forgivers ourselves and pass that gift on to our children.

Kent Evans
Author of The Manhood Journey, co-founder of Manhood Journey and Father On Purpose.

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.