In light of our theme here on grace, let me take this opportunity to share with you how gracious the Lord was to me when He gave me my Dad. I have thanked God countless times for giving me the Father He did, and only as I've grown up have I truly come to appreciate many of the things my Dad has done for me through the years. Please understand, my Dad is by no means perfect. He's made mistakes and would be one of the first to admit that. But he has also made a lot of right choices and I can honestly say a lot of who I am today is because of him and Mom and the way they chose to live their lives and parent their kids.
A few things I've learned from Dad...
He has has faithfully modeled integrity for us through the years in the way he did business, treated my Mom, made decisions, etc. I've learned what it means to stand up for what is right, even when it's hard, lonely, and unpopular. Time and time again he has chosen to offend man rather than offending God and made decisions that brought glory to the Lord rather than himself.
He's taught me the importance of a relationship with God. A memory that has been seared into my mind is that of my Dad on his knees in prayer. Many mornings I would come down the stairs and pass his study where he was either sitting on the couch with the Bible in his lap, or kneeling on the floor talking with his heavenly Father. He modeled what he taught my brother and me and we could tell that it was real. He made all his decisions based on scripture, whether we wanted him to or not. He always goes back to what the Word said, and taught us at a young age to love and study the Proverbs. He is wisdom in so many ways.
One of the things I appreciate most about my Dad growing up was the fact that he always made time for me. He loves our Father/Daughter talks and always made a point to try to understand what I was thinking or feeling. If I was in trouble or had made a less than wise decision, he consistently sat down to explain why my actions were wrong and why he was disciplining me. Even though I may not have agreed and even been upset with him for a while, his gentle way of loving me and helping me understand spoke volumes about how much he cared. Today, we still enjoy our talks and I still go to him for advice and godly counsel.
I thank the Lord for the Dad He has given me. I am constantly challenged, encouraged, and loved through him. God has worked mightily in his life through the years, spared his life more than once, and continued to use him in the lives of many, even when Dad didn't know it. And He's still using him to teach, train, challenge, and encourage.
I love you Dad, and am so thankful for who you are!
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