My Son with Whom I’m Pleased - by Phillip Holmes

Matthew 3:17

…and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

One of the most popular shows in the late 80s was ‘The Cosby Show.’ According to TV Guide, this one show “was TV's biggest hit in the 1980s, and almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre. " While the Huxtable's were welcomed and appreciated by most, I think this show particularly drew in the Black community by depicting a family from our people group that was both affluent and stable.

I personally love this show, and just recently I realized why I love it so much. I watched how much Cliff loved his son.  We all know that Theo, especially in his teenage years, wasn’t your ideal kid. But Cliff always reminded Theo that he was proud of him, and that, despite his failures, he loved him.  As I watched this take place in an episode, I started crying.

I longed to have an earthly father, like Cliff, who would be proud of me.

I grew up in a single parent home but was raised by a fleet of women. My mom, grandmother and aunts in Pickens all had a part in raising me. So I longed for a male influence and later realized in college how unprepared I was for manhood.

While in college, I met a man by the name of Chad Smith who, at that time was the RUF Campus minister at Belhaven College.  Chad is probably the closest thing I’ve had to a father. He saw early on that I had deep rooted daddy issues. I slowly began to realize how much I was affected and hurt by not having a father who was there. Chad would tell me, “Phillip you’re longing to hear your father say he’s proud of you. Well guess what, he is. Your heavenly Father is proud of you.”

These words have stayed with me for years.

When I’m reminded of the Gospel and the fact that I’m loved because of the works and sacrifices of Another, it amazes me. I have been accredited the righteousness of Christ and for this reason my Heavenly Father is proud of me. How the Father could love a sinner such as myself, based on the goodness of Another, is a mystery to me. I find myself crying tears of joy because in the midst of my struggles with porn, bitterness, anger, envy, and so much more, the Maker of this world is saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I’m well pleased”.

I am thankful for my good friend Phillip Holmes for his insights, honesty and transparency.  I have known Phillip for about four years now.  He is currently in seminary and pursuing college ministry with RUF.