A YouTube testimony by Stephen Scoggins featuring his grandfather George Bruce Stallings ("Silver Fox"). Stephen briefly recounts personal hardship (homelessness around 1997) and introduces a longer testimony by his grandfather about forgiving his father. George describes years of resentment over his father's mistreatment, a religious turning point after military service (discharged Sept 1952, events around 1954), and a moment of prayer where he felt the burden of bitterness lifted.
Chapters
Welcome back to the Journey Principles. It's been a little bit since we've recorded a small video and as you can tell, I'm slightly under the weather, but we are getting near the holidays and we're kind of excited about that. But it takes me back to a story that happened to me back in 97 where basically I didn't have anything whatsoever to share with my family and friends. I was able to draw my grandfather a couple of pictures and draw my dad something and something like that because just the finances and whatnot. I'd been sleeping in a car for a little while and my family didn't know much about it. This is long before I became a business owner and long before I had any real formal training of any kind in making sure that I was going to have a successful life going forward. One of the things that came up with that was the subject of forgiveness and how many people that I had to go back and forgive and also how many people I had to go back and ask forgiveness of. Then it dawned on me that the very man who helped me with everything led me to Christ. Help get me on the road to recovery, if you will, Making sure that I was going to go, you know, leaps and bounds towards the next level in life was my grandfather. And this past weekend, just before we head into the Christmas holidays and before I go get married on, you guys, have to introduce you to my beautiful bride very shortly. But before we do all that, I got a chance to sit down with my grandfather, Silver Fox George Bruce Stylings, who has his own testimony of how forgiveness changed his life. And I can't wait for you guys to hear about it because today's principle is all about forgiveness. The before, the after, the bitterness, the anger, the things that come with it, and also how to let go of it and move forward in life. So without any further ado, here's my grandfather. George, you talked about forgiveness before and how important that was for you to really join up with your dad and everything.
Sure.
What's that story?
My story was this. I despised my dad for years.
Because I couldn't understand.
A wife like my mom was to obedient to the very end. But she put up with so much crap that I just couldn't understand it. How he treated us. He. He treated everybody better than he did his own family. And he did more favors for the other people than he did for us. And I would never forget it because I've seen the time that I'd be sitting in a store and he would say something that would embarrass you so bad you'd have to get up and leave. And it was nothing but pure stupidity and things that hurt. You don't hurt people you love. You might do it, but you will come and ask forgiveness. But my father.
I'll never forget the time that.
I had come from service. I was a Christian. I was really strong into reading in the Bible and trying to put my whole armor on. And thank God he let me do it. I had babies coming into the world now, and I wanted to make sure that I was a father that they needed. And it had not been a night that I wouldn't stand over their cribs and pray for them and ask the Lord to bless them and lead me to lead them the way they should be.
But this day, I got out of service in September of 1952.
And shortly after that, it was in 54, I think it was that day that I went down. And of course, he was drinking. My mom and dad lived in a farm, and this is where he farmed. He didn't work it much. That's where he had so many kids to work it. But anyway, he was drunk.
And he wanted to talk about the Bible. And his preacher, his pastor told me that he knew more about the Bible than he did. He'd read through the Bible five times, and he took notes on everything.
My youngest brother got his Bible. I would have loved to have it, just to check on some of the things that he wrote about. Because I couldn't see how a man could think like and not have Christ in his heart. Now, this dis always amazed me. But when he was wanting to talk about the Bible, I said, don.
If he would call you home right now, you'd split hell wide open.
It broke his heart. He says, I've done more good than I have bad. Take Moses. He wouldn't let Moses go into the Promised Land.
For a simple reason. That Moses was bitter and angry. When he struck the water. He told him to strike the rock. The water would gush out for his children. And Moses and anger struck the rock. The water came. But he says, moses, because you've been disobedient, you cannot go into the Promised Land. Now, a lot of people, he was a man of God. That's the first thing they say, yeah.
But man of God can still be bitter.
It can be bitter. And this is what I'm saying. I wouldn't have never told you this if I didn't think it fell on ears that it wouldn't mean something.
How did You. How did you find it. How did you find it in your heart to forgive your father? Well, and to move forward with grace.
When. When we had our little meeting and I told him, I said, dad, there's only one person in the world can change this. You accept in the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart. I said, the day that happens. He said he'd already said, well, I know y' all must hate me.
That's all right. I got it. Don't worry about it.
I said, no, I don't hate you. I just hate the ways that you've treated us and it shouldn't be. I said, dad, you've been given a home. You've screwed people all your life.
And it's time you straighten your life out. Do I'll never see you in the kingdom of God.
And I upset him so much. When mom come home from work that night.
He called her at the door, says, nellie Gray coming here, I'm gonna talk to you. Said, I talked with Bruce today. That's my middle name, Gary.
And since he has tore me all to pieces.
Well, what did it say? Said I had to be born again or I was going to split hell wide open. She said, that's the truth.
She don't know what being born again means. It means asking Jesus to come into your heart and save you.
So I've done too much. I can be. He said, no, no, he's given you the right now to ask him into your heart. He said, well, I'm going to go to church Sunday, rededicate my life and stand up and tell the people everything I've ever done. Mama says you don't need to take it that far.
Well, you told me once about you and God specifically had a special time together to let go of your dad and all the stuff that you dealt with as a child, and that was really between you and God alone.
And not really something that absolutely, I. I have. I did. The night that I heard this man say, you, you've got to let it go. You've got to let these things. And it bothered me for years. And Stephen, this come after you, your visit out at Faith Community Church. This happened after that, that when he was so strong on it. I said, and I. And I knew it was something that was keeping me from.
Doing exactly what God wanted me to do. And it was this. He's not going to let you meet.
What he's got for you unless you get this stuff out of your heart. See, I resented him. He. He don't want me to resent no man. He wants you to love him. Love him into Christ.
And. And when I found this out, then I said, well, God, I understand. I got on my knees and I prayed and I prayed. I said, father, I'm not getting up until youl take this burden off of me. And when I got up, he had taken it off.
Well, as you can see, my grandfather is full of wisdom. I'd like to believe I get it, honest. But he's a lot smarter man than me. I hope to be just like him one day. He's got that wide flowing hair and all the wisdom that goes with it. I hope you enjoyed spending some time with my grandfather and God. Blessings, Wise. With God's blessing, we'll have him for a little while longer. He's unfortunately diagnosed with stuff, stage four cancer. So any prayers you guys would offer on Silver Fox's behalf, I would greatly appreciate it. But I hope you enjoyed that. Until next time, we'll see you in the journey. Principles.
