7 Lessons from Dad (Celebrating 70).
Today is my dad’s seventieth birthday. I can never thank God enough for allowing me to be his second child. Although I have a lifetime worth of lessons, I have narrowed down to the big seven that seem to guide every decision that I make.
1. Ingenuity. Every problem has a solution. Are you willing to work hard enough to find that answer … solve the problem? Executing the plan may not be what everyone wants to do, but there are ways to solve every problem. He did not teach me to think outside of the box, but he taught me to find the shortest route and make it happen. Those that execute plans that have extra steps, did not think it all the way through before doing it. Efficiency is a hot commodity. King Solomon stated, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5).
2. Work Ethic. Working hard and practicing to be the best has always been his style. To wake up at 2 AM, to hit the road for work, was a routine for my dad. He worked long hours so that his family would have enough in life. He taught me that when you did something that you did it to the best of everyone’s ability (not just your own) or you simply do not do it. When playing t-ball, he had me out in the back yard for hours throwing the ball up in the air and catching it. He lives by the adage, “Practice makes perfect.” Paul told Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed” (2 Timothy 2:15).
3. Trust. The one aspect that my dad asked me of Stephanie before we married was, “Son, do you trust her?” He told me that if you trust then all other problems can be solved. He does not like spending a lot of time with people that lie. All sin is equal but that one gets to him. He taught me how to find trust, to build trust and to continue to be trustworthy. Paul stated, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
4. Honesty. Someone may not want to hear it but it is honest. Someone may not like it but it is true. If they get mad at you then it shows more about them than you. If you are honest then you are sharing a truth that you do not own but that you simply know. You do not own that truth, but are simply sharing a truth that exists apart from you. I am not speaking of being blunt, but truthful. There is a difference. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:12-3).
5. Serving. One of the greatest first steps is serving. My dad taught me that the greatest posture in life is to humbly serve other people. He always says, “You’ll never go wrong helping other people.” Jesus stated, “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-8).
6. Kindness. He always tells me that you will attract more people with honey than bitter. He reminds me that growing up he did not have much and got made fun of everyday at school (this is what motivates his work ethic, so that his family would never get made fun of). The only time that he told me that he would drastically “whoop me” is if he ever caught me making fun of someone or not taking up for someone that is being made fun of. To this day, it unnerves me to hear someone belittle someone, publicly shame someone or simply just be mean to someone. Peter wrote, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:1-3).
7. Jesus. As a child I remember sitting next to him during church. No matter what I did growing up, my dad sown into the fabric of my foundation that church, serving the church and attending it was very important. He traveled a lot, but he always had time to attend and serve the church. King Solomon stated, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
My goal in life is to reflect Jesus, talk about Jesus and give Jesus glory in all that I do. I also would like to be half the man that my father exhibits. What a wonderful world it would be if I can accomplish those two goals.
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david evans is the Evangelism Director for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Feel free to contact david via e-mail devans@tnbaptist.org. In the meantime, for Great Commission ideas check out “The Reaching App” by searching in your app store or visiting www.TheReachingApp.com.