Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov 22:6
I’ve been thinking about my father-in-law’s funeral. I wasn’t too long ago…June 2007. Jonathan’s mom asked him to say a few words at the service. The night before Jonathan and I started talking about all the things he had learned from his dad. I got a pen and took notes.
The next day, Jonathan got up in front of a full house and listed off “Things My Dad Taught Me.” The scribbled notes from that day are long gone, written on the back of a spare piece of paper and lost somewhere between the church and the cemetery. I’ve pieced together the list as best I can from our memories and the memories of a few close friends in attendance. Here it is:
Things My Dad Taught Me
1. How to drive a nail, use a T-square, change the oil, and mow a lawn.
2. The importance of keeping your workbench and your desk neat, clean, and organized.
3. The value of saving every nut, nail, bolt, or scrap of wood you find. Most will find a use down the road. Of course, they should all be kept neatly and in their rightful places (see #2).
4. The danger of procrastination.
5. To be passionate about your country, your politics, and your family.
6. How to shave that dimple in my chin.
7. That most things in life can be worked out or explained with pen and paper. When you don’t have paper, a napkin or the back of an envelope will do.
8. The dangers of debt. Never owe money to anyone. Ever.
9. Responsibility. Keep your cars and home in top working order.
10.Faithfulness. My dad taught me how to love a woman for 50 years.
Jonathan’s dad was quite a man. Bigger than life, really. He passed down a lot of values that have a huge positive impact on our family even today. I don’t think Bert set out to teach Jonathan these lessons. He didn’t preach them. Most of his wisdom was taught by example (including the dimple shave).
Proverbs tells us that we are to “train up a child in the way he should go.” Since so much of that training comes from example, we have a responsibility to live a life that points them in the right direction.
So that leads to the question, what are our kids learning from my example? What values does my life teach? What do my kids learn from my attitudes about finances, contentment, faith, marriage, and responsibility? There are a few areas that could use adjustment, that’s for sure. And with God’s help, I am going to make changes that will benefit generations to come.
Charlotte, worship leader
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