Introduction
This Father’s Day, I have been thinking about one of the most important lessons I learned as a father.
It was not a lesson I taught my son.
It was a lesson my son taught me.
Sometimes the people we are trying to teach end up teaching us.
And sometimes growth begins with the humility to listen.
Message
There was a day many years ago when I was walking with my young son. At some point I dropped a bottle cap onto the sidewalk.
A few moments later, my son looked at me and asked:
‘Papi, why do you litter?’
I immediately tried to explain it away. I told him it had fallen by accident.
But deep down, I knew he was right.
The issue was not the bottle cap.
The issue was my heart.
I had taught him not to throw garbage on the street. I had taught him to care for the environment. Yet in that moment, my actions did not match my words.
What surprised me most was not the correction itself.
It was the person through whom it came.
A child.
My child.
As parents, teachers, leaders, and adults, we often think of ourselves as the ones doing the teaching.
Yet Scripture reminds us that God sometimes chooses unexpected people to teach important lessons.
Humility is not simply the willingness to teach.
Humility is the willingness to learn.
Sometimes from those younger than us.
Sometimes from those with less experience.
Sometimes from those we least expect.
Looking back, I realize that the lesson was never really about a bottle cap.
It was about accepting correction.
It was about recognizing when I was wrong.
It was about setting a better example.
It was about understanding that our actions affect the world around us.
And perhaps most importantly, it was about being willing to learn.
That lesson stayed with me.
Over time it changed the way I looked at waste, recycling, and environmental stewardship. It eventually influenced my desire to include care for creation among the purposes of Esperanza Foundation International.
Yet the deeper lesson remains the same.
Growth begins when we are willing to listen.
Even when the truth comes from an unexpected source.
This Father’s Day, I am grateful for many lessons I have taught my children.
But I am also grateful for the lessons they have taught me.
Sometimes a child really shall lead them.
And sometimes the wisest thing a father can do is listen.
Closing Reflection
May we never become too proud to learn.
May we never become too experienced to be corrected.
May we never become too certain to listen.
And may we always remain teachable before God and before one another.
Happy Father’s Day.
