Hats Off to Dad

My dad gave a brief talk in church yesterday about being a father. He talked about the joy, pride, fun, and disappointment he has felt during his experience of being the father of four boys. It was an interesting to get a glimpse into how he perceived some of the most important moments of our family’s life. He felt pride in teaching me how to drive a standard, he could laugh at some of the many trips to the emergency room (especially one involving a fork in my mom’s pinky for which I was responsible), and how he learned to cope with the difficulty that comes with having teenage sons.

My dad is great! He has been his sons’ biggest cheerleaders, even when we thought we may have disappointed him. He has loved us individually—we are each unique and he has appreciated the attributes of us individually. He has taught us all to think through situations, to act wisely, and, when we are forced into that situation, to make lemons out of lemonade.

I am not a father, yet. But this Father’s Day, my dad reminded me of his gift to me—the legacy of a great dad. My prayer is that I will be just as faithful to God and to my children’s spiritual development as my dad was to ours and that I would follow in his footsteps of being a great dad!