A Tribute to My Dad

The word “father” occurs over 1,000 times in the Scriptures (don’t believe me? Check this page out) in many contexts: lineage, promises, God’s relationship with His people,  and the human fatherhood that God has ordained in creation for the heads of households and leaders of the Church.  The Apostle Paul makes a point to deal directly with this relationship many times – the most prominent of these being found in Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV):

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The Proverbs of King Solomon the Wise also shed light on this matter, stating:

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.  (Proverbs 15:20, ESV)

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. (Proverbs 17:6, ESV)

Dads are something that God takes very seriously – a role that the Most High Himself has chosen to use as the representation and understanding of His love and grace and how He desires to relate to us.  Dads are designed to be the human demonstration of God’s fatherly character and, in His grace, He has blessed many of us with fathers who raise us, care for us, provide for us and protect us as we mature.  I myself have been blessed by God in this way to have my Dad.

He isn’t like most dads these days, actually  My dad is of the old way of thinking (a way that I myself support on many fronts): working hard to provide for his family and doing work for and with his family at home.  Yard work, house work, office work, car work (we’ve been doing quite a bit of that lately), he is always prepared to “get ‘er done” so things can keep going as they should.

That’s definitely one of the main things I appreciate most about my dad.  For as long as I can remember, he has worked day and night to give us a home, a living and to constantly make sure his family is provided for.  Day after day for years, he has dealt with a particularly stressful occupation (property management for non-profits) to do that.   To top it off, rarely has a weekend gone by when he hasn’t done work around the house or with the car, or maybe helping others in the family, etc. with their needs in that respect too.

It’s an amazing commitment to family, a value that he is teaching me (I’m a slow learner) more and more.  By the grace of God, I have in him an example of committed loyalty to family and to providing for that family – both immediate and extended.  “You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family” is a frequent saying of his and I’ll confess that it was often received by me with a sort of resentment at the truth of that fact.  Yet, God has worked in me and in many ways, I’m beginning to see the wisdom of God in choosing both our family and friendships for us – He knows best.

Dad: Thank you for your loyalty, sacrifice, hard work, and demonstrated love time and time again.  I couldn’t ask for a more committed father than the one that God has given me in you.  I love you, Dad.  Happy Father’s Day!