Happy Father's Day

Every day I find myself becoming more and more like my father. The way I talk to my daughter, the way I scratch my nose, the way I laugh, even the things I laugh at…I can trace all of these things to watching my dad through little boy eyes, and wanting to be just like him.
I have vivid memories of going to my dad’s office on a Saturday, spending hours playing with office supplies and drawing, spinning on his office chair. At the time I thought this was the coolest treat ever, to see where my dad spent his days. It was only years later, as an adult, that I made the connection that he was working on the weekend to better provide for his family. Even now, I think of this sometimes as I work on weekends to provide for mine.
My dad wasn’t home much through my childhood; because he was working long hours, but this just made the time I did have with him all the sweeter. I still remember the exact spot off a Florida bridge where I caught my first fish with him, a blowfish flopping around like a rubber ball made of spikes, and him remarking with pride that he had never caught one of those before. Only later did I realize how this was a first small step in a lifetime of pushing me to try to surpass his own accomplishments. This theme repeated itself in his challenges to me at college, to graduate with a higher GPA, or a higher degree than he was able to do.
My dad is a world-class arguer. No matter what point I tried to bring up, no matter what opinion I tried to express, he was there to try and shut me down, arguing for all he was worth against what I was saying. My dad is the eternal devil’s advocate. But in this arguing, there is never bitterness or anger, only a constant challenge to look at every possible angle, find the flaws in what I am saying, and be willing to look at my own beliefs with honesty and reason, avoiding dogma at all costs. He taught me that truth is like the house built upon the rock, no matter what you throw at it, it will continue to stand. It was this approach that led me to Christ in my own heart, even though I was raised in the church. It was this approach that makes my faith unshakeable today, no matter what happens to me or my family.
My dad is a survivor. I really started to know him at his lowest point, when my mother died. I was fourteen, and the memories of that time, colored through my own grief, are blurry at best. But what I do know is that he brought our family through, doing everything in his power to keep us together.
My father is not a superhero. He is a flawed, frail human. But in the greatest lesson he could ever offer me, through his entire life he has shown me how human frailty can submit itself to the strength of Christ, and become invincible. Our flaws are made new in Him, and every day we have the opportunity to be a new creation, one that reflects the eternal love of our Savior. I pray the Lord’s Prayer and put on the armor of God every day, both alone and with my family, just like my dad taught me. I turn to my loving, personal God in times of trial and tribulation, because dad showed me how-never in a direct lesson, but just by example through his entire life. I know I can face anything that Satan or life can throw at me, because I have seen it all thrown at my dad, and with Christ holding him in His hands, he has faced it and won. In my dad’s weakness, Christ has been strong, and so I can fall back into His arms in my own weakness, knowing that I will be caught by my Lord, because my dad showed me the way.
Thank you dad…I love you with all my heart. Happy Father’s Day!