Father's Day

A God fearing Christian. A calm in the midst of storms. A shoulder to cry on. A confidant. A leader. A man of integrity. A voice of reason. A man of his word. An encourager. A listening ear. A friend. A support.

 My dad.

Most children don't have a dad or know who their dad is. Some children live an abusive life at the hands of their dad. Some will spend eternity outside of heaven because their dad never talked to them about Jesus. Fortunately, that is not my life. My dad has been a blessing since Day 1 in this world. He has been a "hands-on" dad since I could remember, making time for me and my brother even when he was exhausted. He has always let everyone know that his family is his #1 priority, right after serving God. I never had to guess where I stood in my dad's eyes because I know. He loves me with every ounce of his being and has proven that time and time again in my life. From little things like reading me books, playing games with me, trying to tutor me in math (ok, maybe that was a big thing!), teaching me how to fix things, letting me talk to him without asking me to be quiet even if my stories were never ending, lifting me up instead of putting me down, leading family devotions, taking us on road trips...to big things like helping me get my first job and my first car, sleeping on the couch multiple nights when I threatened to run away from home, disciplining in a calm voice instead of raising his hand at me or screaming at me, guiding me in major decisions, encouraging me in different avenues of life, giving me parenting advice and most importantly loving me like Jesus does.
Very few, and I mean VERY FEW, people have earned being on a pedestal in my life but my dad is one of them. 2 Bible verses come to mind when I think of him: "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (Prov. 17:27) and 1 Cor. 13 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." You could easily replace "love" and "it" with my dad's name and the verse would describe my dad perfectly. My dad is about as close to perfect as one human can get- at least in my eyes.
I've been blessed to call him Dad, to know that this Godly man is one of my biggest influences in how I parent today. I wish I could be as calm and as even tempered as he is but I'm still thankful for all the lessons he's taught me in life.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there but especially to the ones who go above and beyond to not only tell their children but SHOW their children how important they truly are! I love you, Dad!!