Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, lost his 18-year-old son to suicide near the end of the Colts' 2005 season. At the funeral service at Idlewood Baptist Central on December 27, 2005, Dungy offered a heartbreaking appeal to fathers.
"God can provide joy in the midst of a sad occasion," he said. "And the challenge is to find that joy. I urge you not to take your relations for granted. Parents, hug your kids each chance you get. Tell them you love them each chance you get. You don't know when it's going to be the last time."
Tony Dungy last saw his son at Thanksgiving in Indianapolis. James Dungy was in a rush to get to the airport, and his father did not have a chance to hug him.
In a brief interview with the media after the funeral, Coach Dungy said, "James was a good young man with a compassionate heart. We were glad to have him for 18 years. We are also glad that he accepted Christ as his savior, so that God has him now for the rest of eternity."
You know Lord how I want to communicate the importance of the family to our young men of the church. They have found themselves as dads but not yet as a parents who give of their time, talents, trust in the nurturing and raising up of their children.
In a sense they are still children themselves playing more and parenting less.
I pray for Tony Dungy that he and his family will be comforted in their grief. I pray for the young dads of our church that they will wake up to their important role in their children's lives.
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