Five Reasons Why I Think my Father is the Best

It has been quite some time since I have updated. I am very sorry for this. My life for the past month has been a series of ups and downs and all sorts of crazy in-betweens. Today I am not going to worry about that. Today I am writing about a very important person; a person whose presence has helped to shape who I am today and what I value and love. Today I want to tell you five things you should know about my Papa.

Please excuse the extremely snarky title. I think quite a few daughters think this about their father at one point in their lives. I still think this about mine, and today I will share with you why I do:

1. He sets the standard. 

Whether it is working hard, knowing history, loving Jesus, or being a father, Papa sets the standard. Before I continue, let me just say he isn't perfect, and he will be the first one to tell you that. But when it comes to being a man, a father, a lover of Jesus, a servant, and a worker, he has always set the bar for me. Early on I saw his deep love for God's Word and for those around him; a love that caused him to daily pour out his time, energy, and resources for their good. There were many times he would come home tired from the office, spent from a long day at work, and yet he still picked up the phone for his students and patiently gave them counsel and help with their work. Yet he would strive daily to lead, love, and disciple his family.
 We had so many students over to house for Bible studies and holidays, and I remember how my parents both opened their arms and their hearts to welcome them in, to love them and serve them in a Christlike way. 

He still does this with so many that he encounters.

Papa also has shown me what true humility and submission to the Bible looks like. Because my parents are both sinners in need of grace, there have been times when they have sinned against us and against each other. Yet both are quick to acknowledge their sin and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. I remember many times, as a young teenager, my parents both coming to us and seeking our forgiveness for their sin. Papa has always spoken very candidly about his sin and his need for Christ's righteousness. His ability to do so has resonated into my own life and has helped to show me my own need to be so humbly transparent about my weaknesses and to promote Christ's work in my life.

Papa is the standard for the men in my life. Every time I have become friends with a guy, even with casual friendships, I subconsciously compare them to him. I judge their actions, their faithfulness to God and to others, their work ethic, their intelligence based off of this standard. Perhaps that isn't very fair. After all, he is much older, wiser, and more experienced than most of them. Yet the comparison is still there, and still I have not met anyone who quite measures up to that standard... yet.

2. He loves teaching.

Everything to Papa is a lesson. A random question asked at the dinner table turns into a lesson. Whether it is someone really seeking help and guidance on an issue or simply making conversation, Papa is quick to take the conversation to the next level, analyze the question and the individual asking it, and turn the conversation into a learning experience. He is in his element in front of a whiteboard. 

He has on more than one occasion skillfully turned the emotional rollercoaster of a teenage girl into a lesson she will carry for the rest of her life.

3. And history. 

Papa has shelves and shelves of history books, and he has read nearly all of them. In fact, he is the one who instilled the love of history in me. He gave me the first historical book I read for fun when I was fifteen. I've been hooked ever since. For my nineteenth birthday the two of us dragged Mom to the theater to watch Lincoln. We spent the rest of the evening over dinner discussing the movie and the social-political ramifications that period had (shout-out to my Mom, who had enough patience and love to sit through an entire evening of us geeking out over the Civil War). I love that Papa loves history and that he was able to pass that love on to me. 

4. ...And a good theological discussion.

Papa loves to discuss the Bible. His ability to comprehend and articulate the Bible never ceases to amaze me. I have seen him engage in many a theological discussion. Always he is careful to thoroughly understand the other person's position, whether he agrees with it or not. When the discussion turns debate, he is always at the forefront and (I'm still working on this one) is able to weave Scripture throughout his argument in a very effective manner. Yet, with each discussion I have witnessed, his humility and graciousness towards the other person is apparent. Even as he seeks to call their position into question, he still treats them with respect and grace.
In this way Papa has shown me, not only how to have a good theological discussion, but that sometimes loving your neighbor is more important than winning the argument.

5. He shows us Jesus

Papa always points me back to Jesus. Through his words and his actions he directs my focus back to our Savior. He is quick to bring the Gospel into just about every situation. He and my mom both were the first to talk about the love of God and the hope of the resurrection in Christ when we faced the devastating loss of my brother. I remember quite clearly, the night when we received the news and rushed to be with them, his eyes, filled with tears, yet desperately hopeful as he hugged each of us and said, "he is risen!" I remember the pain and the loneliness I watched him and my mom both go through, and yet he held onto that hope. A year later - a long, painful, dark year later - and still he was quick to speak the light of the Gospel into our loss. A year later we sat around on the anniversary of Ben's death, and we all were able to testify to the faithfulness of God and the life we had in Christ. Papa was the first to draw our attention to it, and he continues to do so daily.

I love my father. He has taught me so much through the years. But the most important thing that he has taught me is to know my heavenly Father, to follow after Him, and to love and serve Him faithfully. My love and respect for my father has grown because through it I have learned the love and care of my heavenly Father. 


As you can see, I love both of my parents very much and I hold them in the highest respect. Papa would not be who he is without Mom, and Mom would not be who she is without Papa. It seems like I cannot speak about one without thinking about the other. Many of these characteristics I have mentioned about Papa I have seen in Mom as well. I am so very thankful to have two godly, loving parents who have faithfully preached the Gospel to us throughout the years, and who continue to live it out in their daily lives. I am a very poor student, but I am extremely grateful for all that I have learned from them through the years (sometimes lessons that literally took years). 

Happy Father's Day, Papa! Thank you for faithfully loving and caring for me, in spite of the little I have done to deserve it.