June 12, 2024 Seeing his big blue truck pull into the driveway as I parked on the street, I felt a sense of urgency. I jumped out of my small SUV and moved as fast as I could down the driveway, trying to get ahead of him and give a warning to the people we were meeting, people who know me through this job. “I’m going to apologize in advance for his behavior, but I’m pretty sure I’m about to make a lot of sense to you.” I uttered the phrase only seconds before my dad stepped out of his truck and walked toward where I was standing, ready to help me pick up a piece of furniture that wouldn’t fit in my vehicle. While I inherited and learned lots of things from my mom, I’m very, very similar to my dad. I’m tall like him, most of my facial structure resembles his, and our personalities are similar in a lot of ways. My stubbornness and my big mouth – both my biggest assets and biggest liabilities – are most certainly traits I inherited/learned from dad. When our similarities come up in conversation, I generally say, “I’m a chip off the old blockhead.” While we pick on each other mercilessly (a trait my whole family shares), both he and my mother have been constant examples of love, service, humor, compassion, wisdom… the list goes on and on. I’ve heard it said that our fathers model the love of God, the Father and teach us to receive that love. I know there are people who don’t have that experience, whose fathers weren’t positive influences in their lives, but I’m blessed to have a dad who has been and continues to be that model in my life. He constantly reflects the love of God, and – also like God – he constantly keeps me guessing as to what he’ll do or say next. As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day, I’ve been thanking God in a special way for my father. Please join me this week in praying for fathers, both those who are here with us and those who have passed on to eternal life, as well as all father figures, those people who share paternal love with others with or without that biological bond. That feels urgent, too. |
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