It is said that the greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. By that criterion alone, my dad is a very great man. There are many things that define him but the first thing that comes to mind is how much he loves my mom and by extension, his family. Not once in my life have I ever doubted that my dad loves us and it has been a very great blessing.
My dad’s name is Jesse which means, ‘a gift’. He certainly is a gift but when I think of my dad, I think of a passage of scripture in the Bible, Isaiah Chapter 11:1 which speaks of the coming Messiah:
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
Whenever I think of my dad I think of the strong root he is for our family tree. He’s a strong, good, solid man and a prayerful one. I’m glad my mother married him. My one continuous memory of my dad is how every night he kneels beside his bed to pray. As a little girl I remember asking what was he praying for and he said simply, “I’m praying for you, your mother and your brothers and sisters.” What a comfort his answer has been through the years. During the times in my life when I couldn’t find the words to pray, I knew my dad had me covered. We talk always about the gift of a praying mother but oh thank God, thank God, thank God for the gift of a praying Father. The times when I thought I would never get up again, the times when I was sure I couldn’t go on, I was able to pull on the strength of knowing that along with my mother, my father was praying for me. Let me say again, (in case you didn’t hear me the first time) Thank God for a praying father.
There are many things I like about my dad and I could go on and on, but the one thing I really like about him is his sense of humor. My dad loves to laugh (you can tell by that smile) and he is at times very funny. He would come home from work and tell us the absolute corniest jokes which would make us all laugh and cringe at the same time. It is from him that I get my crazy side.
Proverbs 13:22 states that a good man will ‘leave an inheritance to his children’s children.’ Jesse, my dad is a good man and he has given me laughter and prayer. What a wonderful inheritance. My father’s gift to me.
