Father’s Day – Celebrating the influence of my dad

Thanks to my father for his consistent example of godly living.  Dad has impacted my life significantly – here are five specific ways:

1. He chooses people over things and downplays the significance of material possessions.  When I was 16 I totaled one of my parents’ cars and my dad did not yell or demand that I repay them for the damage.  He treated it as an opportunity for learning.
2. He is consistent in living out his principles and convictions.  I have joked that my parents were always consistent – even when they were consistently wrong.  One thing I could never do, fault them for failing to live up to what they believed to be right.
3. He loves my mother and affirms her in the presence of others.  Despite the typical differences found between spouses, my father chooses to emphasize the strengths in my mother’s character and praises her in the presence of others.
4. He is creative in his gift-giving, looking for ways to speak love to the other person in a way that he/she will hear.  Sometimes he comes to our home and washes my car, cleaning it inside and out.  He knows I like a clean car, but that it has never been a priority in my allocation of time.
5. He is loyal to his friends and committed to those relationships for life.  There are countless examples of people my father has befriended and loved over decades.  Through the joys and pain of life, he is there.

My children are not grown and I do not yet know the impact I will have upon their lives.  I trust that they will be as blessed in their relationship with me as I have been with my father.

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