James Dobson tells this story:

Several months ago, I talked to a man who described one of the most painful experiences of his life. When he was 17-years-old, he was one of the stars on his high school football team. But his father, a very successful man in the city, was always too busy to come see him play.

The final game of the season came around, which happened to have been the state championship. The boy was desperate to have his dad there. The night of the big game, he was on the field, warming up, when he looked into the stadium just in time to see his father arrive with two other men, each wearing a business suit. They stood talking together for a moment or two and then left.

The man who told me this story is now 58 years of age, and yet he had tears streaming down his cheeks as he relived that moment so long ago. It's been 40 years since that night, and yet the rejection and pain are as vivid as ever. I was struck again by the awesome influence a father has in the lives of his children.

My friend's father died not long ago, and as he stood by his dad's body in the mortuary, he said: "Dad, I never really knew you. We could have shared so much love together—but you never had time for me."