I never will forget how proud Dad was of me as a teenager. I had many extraordinary accomplishments as an athlete which made his chest swell with pride. I guess any parent would be proud with a child that was named an All-American and had won three state championships. I can remember a few times him saying, “I taught her everything she knows.” He would laugh with a huge grin. The truth of the matter is he did teach me many things, the least important athletics. I reflect upon all of the things he did teach me, of which I am eternally grateful.
The most important thing that Dad taught me was that Jesus loves me! He taught me that that love cost Jesus his life on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. He used the Word of God to teach me that I needed Christ as my personal Savior and then led me in the prayer of salvation at ten years of age. I had prayed a prayer at five years of age but was not sure about it. Dad talked to me about how I could know for sure. He took a belt and rolled it into his hand. He looked at me and told me to take it from him. I yanked and pulled. I peeled one finger, then another, and then another. I worked and even pulled myself off of the floor trying to get that belt out of his hand, but I could not. It felt like I worked on it forever. He stopped me and asked me why I couldn’t get that belt out of his hand. I said, “Daddy, you are stronger than me.” He responded, “God is stronger than anyone. No one is stronger than God. Jesus stated that no one is able to pluck you from the Father’s hand.” He took me to the Bible and showed me John 10:28-29 and simply said,” You are in the Father’s hand, and no one can take you out.”
My dad was a man of faith and by his faith I gained faith. He believed in the in the One who promised and taught me how to pray. He led the family in devotions, and he always used the scriptures and found promises to base our faith upon. He taught me the importance of using God’s Word for everything in life. For without the promises of God, we have no bases for our faith. God answered prayers of every type. I remember the Lord supplying our needs of food, clothing, and health. We always thanked Him as we prayed and then afterwards for God’s answer to our prayer.
As a teenager and young adult, I sat in on several spiritual counseling sessions with my dad. He was so wise in his counsel. His wisdom and source of wisdom was from the Holy Scriptures. My dad showed people compassion and would counsel for hours at a time to help them. Probably, the most beneficial counsel was when we were alone either driving to the counseling session or waiting for someone to arrive. I got to see the passion and love that he had for my mom and the Lord Jesus Christ. He shared his mistakes as a young man. He cried and explained how he wished he had done things differently. He was not completely surrendered to the Lord at the beginning of their marriage. As he surrendered his life to Christ his relationship with Mom was preserved. Dad always advised others and encouraged them to put Christ first. “You will love your spouse more deeply with that type of love,” he would say. His love toward my mom will ever be etched in my mind as she lay dying of cancer at home. He had a twin bed right next to her hospital bed. He heard her every move and got very little rest as he took care of her day and night. Mom eventually was paralyzed from her waist down. One day he cried and told me, “I wish I could hold her in my arms once again.” What an example of true love!
Another quality that Dad taught and modeled was perseverance. I never will forget him talking about his dog, Tippy, from the pulpit. Tippy was a Boston Terrier. He told how he and his brothers played with Tippy. Tippy would grab hold of a garden hose and they would swing him around and around. He would never let go. The brothers did it so often and over many years that Tippy lost his teeth. Even without teeth he would hold on as they swung him around. Dad used the story of his dog as an analogy to encourage us to hold fast to the truth of God’s Word. Don’t grow weary in well doing! Persevere through the challenges of this life. Dad had a stroke, and he could have given up and left the ministry! He continued to pastor and minister another fifteen years before he passed away. He was persistent and hung on to what he knew to be God’s will in his life. He practiced what he preached and was faithful!
Faithful, is the word engraved on my parents’ tombstone. Dad said if people didn’t remember him for anything else, one thing he wanted them to remember about him was that he was faithful. First, he was faithful to Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior and faithful to the calling of his ministry, then to my mom as a loving husband. Thirdly, he was faithful to his children by teaching them the ways of the Lord. He didn’t want anyone to doubt his trust and service for the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn’t falter as he got older. He stayed strong in the ways of the Lord until his dying breath. As they took him off of the ventilator, he could barely talk. He whispered to Matt, "Pray for me." He remained faithful and reliant upon the strength of the Lord until his dying breath. What a testimony!
My dad did teach me everything that I know. The sports came and went! The truth of God’s Word lives on forever and is the most important thing that he could have ever taught me. I am so grateful that he persevered and stayed faithful to Christ and to our family until the very end.
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