5 Pieces Of Wisdom From A Godly Father

Happy Father’s Day! This holiday is a joyous day for many, but unfortunately, it’s harrowing for others. Every year, every day, I am so thankful that I am blessed to have the Dad that I have. He has gone above and beyond in being a role model in all areas by sharing his wisdom and being a listening ear. He’s faithful and honest, joyful and passionate. All that wrapped up in a quirky sense of humour, a trait he definitely passed down to me. I am a Daddy’s girl, there’s no doubt about it. There are too many inside jokes to count!

Today, I want to honour my Dad by sharing a few of his words of wisdom. I know some people have been unable to experience the love of a father figure here on earth. So I hope that the following words will encourage you on your journey.

“Pick a piece of water”

This phrase has resonated with me for years. When my Dad first said it, I hadn’t heard anything quite like it. I was a child and we had gone on a hike to Bridal Veil Falls where, you probably guessed it, the destination was a waterfall. This was a grand and glorious waterfall! At the bottom of it laid a beautiful pond surrounded by boulders, grass and flowers. 

“Watch, look at the top, pick a piece of water and follow it down” my Dad said as he pointed to the top of the cliff. 

As a child, I found the words ‘pick a piece of water’ to be a real rib tickler. The way my Dad had said it hit my funny bone a bit too hard. But now as a grown woman, while I still giggle at the memory, I realise the lesson I had learned. 

When you pick a piece of water and follow it down, you are now focusing on one part of the picture. It’s like picking out someone from the crowd and seeing their individual journey. This is like life. Individually we are all doing our bit, but together, we are all working toward achieving a goal. As followers of Jesus, our goal is to share the Gospel wherever we are and it’s together that we will achieve it. 

“A happy Mum is a happy Mum”

For as long as I can remember, this has been the motto of our household. Even now when my brother and I go back home for family dinners, my Dad will most likely feed it into conversation. To translate, this phrase for us meant, do what your Mum asks you to do, keep her warm and provide her with cups of tea. 

One of the best things my Dad has done and continues to do, is to love and respect my Mum. (You can read their super sweet love story and gain some wisdom from my Mum here). For my entire life, my brother and I would see my Dad honour his wife, and this has made a huge impression on us. For my brother, he got a masterclass in how to treat women and how to love and respect his wife and children. For me, I got a masterclass in how I, a woman, should be treated. This prompted me to start praying for my future husband. That he would have the same qualities as my Dad, and that I will reciprocate with the respect I've seen my Mum give in return.

“Hot drinks all round?”

When we finish dinner, my Dad always clears his throat to announce the phrase we’ve all been waiting for. If he doesn’t do it, he’s not allowed to put the kettle on until he does. That is how serious this has gotten. I’m not sure exactly when my Dad established this phrase. Yet it will be passed down to his son, and the generations to come, I’m sure of it.

As a hospitable extrovert and a lover of hot drinks - he can down a hot cup of tea in under 2 minutes - my Dad never ceases to amaze me! How many people he has met, befriended, and encouraged over the years, I will never know. He certainly lives out the Gospel! He takes Jesus everywhere he goes and invites people into his home for a catch up or if needed, a place to stay.

“Blast a mutter mutter”

It’s inevitable that we are to endure unfortunate situations and nuisances that disrupt our lives. When I was growing up and something happened to my Dad he didn’t expect, ‘blast a mutter mutter’ would describe how he felt, as he is not one to swear. Either that or ‘darn rats’ would be used to express frustration. 

But even when these situations happened, my Dad wouldn't get aggressive, question why things were going wrong, or dwell in the moment. Instead, he will press on. Not only in the minor inconveniences, but in the major ones too. Because he knows God is in control, and God will bring good out of all situations for those who love Him.

“We live in an interesting world”

My Dad says this quite a lot, and I realise as I write this, it’s probably because of him that ‘interesting’ is my go to word. I use it to describe everything and my friends and family will agree, I’m sure. 

My Dad loves to learn, he loves to keep up to date on almost everything that goes on in this world. And because he knows so many people, he knows what people are dealing with. So every so often at the dinner table, he would recall what he saw or heard that week, and share what the truth of God’s Word says about it. Then, when he finishes his speech, he will sigh and say ‘we live in an interesting world’. 

It's an interesting world because we aren’t perfect. We do make mistakes and not one of us is better than another. But what’s great is that we can support each other, no one has to feel alone. This is something I’ve seen my Dad do often. He accepts when we (including himself) make mistakes, and he’s there to support and encourage others on the right path.

A final word.

When my brother and I were born in the early 1990s, my Dad had started his own business. The business grew and he often found himself travelling for work. Today, Dad will shake his head with guilt, thinking of all the time he had to travel, leaving my Mum to raise us kids. In his head, he was often an absentee Father.

When I was younger, I definitely felt it when he was away because as I mentioned, I am a Daddy’s girl. I missed him. But now when I think back, he wasn’t gone all the time and I remember all of the good times we had together. I’m very conscious of how many people in this world grow up without a Dad at all for any number of reasons. I count my blessings every day that I have an amazing Dad who loves me and teaches me a lot. 

But when I think of him being away, I now also think of all the people he has met along the way. I am blessed to have a Dad that loves Jesus and wants to share Him with everyone he meets. So, the time he was away from us, was precious time that was used to impact other people. For that, it was necessary for him to go away sometimes. Only God knows how many seeds my Dad has planted in people’s lives along the way. From chatting to his neighbour on the plane to preaching to crowds, I’m sure he’s impacted thousands if not hundreds of thousands. For that, He is blessed and truly a Godly Father. 

I‘ll close with a verse that is very applicable to not only my earthly Dad, but my heavenly Dad too.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him”

Psalm 103:13 NIV. 

Happy Father's Day everybody!