ESPN commentator and “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith explained a valuable lesson he learned from his pastor shortly before giving a eulogy at his father’s funeral.
Smith said in an interview with Sean Hannity on the new two-part Fox Nation special, “Sean,” that while he wasn’t able to repair his relationship with his father when he was alive, “the reconciliation came the day of his funeral” in 2018. Even though it “wasn’t the plan,” according to Smith, the sports media star announced to members of his family that he wanted to give a eulogy.
“I got these things on my mind… I’ve been holding it in for years,” Smith recalled telling his pastor before his speech. He told long-time friend Hannity that he disagreed with the way his father treated his mother, explaining in the interview “what he felt, how he acted, what he said, is nothing compared to what he did to her.”
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His pastor, however, advised him not to talk about his grievances at his father’s funeral.
“He took me to scripture in the book of Matthew about forgiveness,” Smith said. “It was about making sure that you understand that the power of forgiveness is the ultimate power.”
Smith proceeded to eulogize his father, heeding his pastor’s advice and choosing to be more forgiving in his language. He recalls ending the speech with, “I know there is a lot to complain about. But he was my dad. And I loved him.”
“I thank my pastor every day for talking to me that morning, because had I not had the conversation with him, the person that my sister Carmen heard on the phone an hour earlier would not have given that eulogy.”
Smith also elaborated on the love he had for his mother, calling her “the greatest mother I’ve ever known.” He said he and his sister saw his mother starving “just to make sure we weren’t hungry.”
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