Daddy

Today is the birthday of the most AMAZING, sacrificial, Holy Spirit-led, scripturally knowledgeable, End-Times untangling, LOVING, Godly-example of a father I’ve ever known. He has challenged me to follow God more, to be more, do more, and make the impossible possible through Christ Jesus. He has taught me to minister to EVERYONE without judgment or prejudice and that no one is of unimportance to God. He has taught me to seek and save the lost no matter how far away from God they are to begin with.

And now, I’m going to reveal to the world, something he has  never told a single soul, but something I watched him do as a child, and it changed my life.

One evening, when I was just a small girl, my family had just finished eating dinner at Pancho’s. The wind was bitingly cold outside, just before Christmas, a rare event for south Texas.  My older sister, me, and Mama all held hands and ran to our old brown  Ford Fairmont to avoid the wind’s sting, and Daddy followed closely behind.  He walked slower because he was warm in his nice new thick jacket.

We sat down in the car, and while Mama helped secure our seatbelt buckles, Daddy cranked the engine to  get the heater going to warm us. Suddenly, Daddy’s door popped open, and he got out.

Mama looked over the top of the car, just before sitting down in her seat. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll be right back.”  He winked at her.

Mama got in the car and sat down, and we all blew warm air in to our hands as we rubbed them together, but I watched my daddy through the small window in the back. I watched him walk over and sit down beside a homeless man.

“What is Daddy doing?” my young voice squeaked.

“You’re Daddy’s being Jesus to that man.” Mama smiled a proud smile.

It wasn’t long until Daddy came back and creaked the door open. He plopped down in the seat, and rubbed his red hands together in front of the vent hopping to thaw them quickly.

“Brrrrr! It is cold out here tonight.” He smiled and shifted the car into gear, and we began our drive home. That’s when I noticed the homeless man waving as we drove past. His arms nice and warm in my daddy’s new jacket.

This was not an isolated event.  I remember growing up with my daddy playing Santa Claus and secretly delivering Christmas presents to others in need, and buying food for people that had none. He has visited people in prison, and prayed with people on their hospital-beds.  He continually sacrifices to help others in need, and he shares the message of Jesus in his words and actions with people, no matter how intimidating they may look, and yet, he has also always personally financially and prayerfully supported missionaries to go where he has not gone and do what he cannot physically do himself.

He just genuinely loves people, and he is the most amazing skin-on example of Christ I’ve ever met, and I’m blessed that for the past 42 years, I’ve been able to call him my daddy.  I’m not foolish enough to not recognize that my parents are an absolute blessing from our loving God, and DAILY, I praise God for them.

Daddy, I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from you simply being yourself: a genuine, no plastic, example of Christ. I love you more than you’ll ever know, and I hope this is your best birthday yet!!!!