I've expressed in this blog before about my respect, admiration and love for my father-in-law. When I married his daughter over 30 years ago, little did I know that his character as a man and a father would affect my marriage and my life.
Some of the qualities of my wife (Karyn) that I admire most is her faith, trust and confidence. These apply not only to her relationship with God but also in our marriage and as a mother. Her strong and steady faith in God and in me has been evident throughout our marriage.
Over the years, we have had discussions about these qualities of hers and how she learned them. I wanted to know because I wanted to replicate this faith, trust and confidence in our sons. I, too, wanted them to be steady as they grew and became husbands and fathers.
What did Karyn's father do that encouraged such steadfast qualities in his daughter? Karyn tells me of times when she was a little girl and when she felt scared in the middle of the night, she would whisper "daddy" from the other side of the house and "he would be right there when I needed him." Growing up, she also saw that her father was consistent, that he cared for her physical needs as well. He worked hard and she knew that one of the reasons he was working so hard was so that she could have what she needed. She rarely doubted his care for her and was confident that he would come thru with what was important. She also saw him care for the house she lived in, meticulously manicured the lawn she played on and made sure that her home was safe.
I hope that you are seeing how important it is for fathers to be there for their children. Not only is it good for their children, but it is also good for their children's spouse, and their children's children, and so on. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deut 7:9
Through our marriage, there have been many tough times (as all marriages have) and we have weathered them together. Karyn's trust and faith in me pulled me through times of a lack of confidence. Her confidence that God would provide what was needed and her trust that God knew what was best for us developed my faith over the course of our marriage as well.
Her father's steadiness in raising her to womanhood not only paid off for her, his steadiness made me a more faithful man as well. How so? I knew that Karyn believed in me like she believed in her father. I knew that she believed in God like she believed in her father. I knew through Karyn's faith, the importance of being a steady influence on my children and also how to be a better husband.
I am grateful to my father-in-law.
I am grateful what he taught me about faith.
Some of the qualities of my wife (Karyn) that I admire most is her faith, trust and confidence. These apply not only to her relationship with God but also in our marriage and as a mother. Her strong and steady faith in God and in me has been evident throughout our marriage.
Over the years, we have had discussions about these qualities of hers and how she learned them. I wanted to know because I wanted to replicate this faith, trust and confidence in our sons. I, too, wanted them to be steady as they grew and became husbands and fathers.
What did Karyn's father do that encouraged such steadfast qualities in his daughter? Karyn tells me of times when she was a little girl and when she felt scared in the middle of the night, she would whisper "daddy" from the other side of the house and "he would be right there when I needed him." Growing up, she also saw that her father was consistent, that he cared for her physical needs as well. He worked hard and she knew that one of the reasons he was working so hard was so that she could have what she needed. She rarely doubted his care for her and was confident that he would come thru with what was important. She also saw him care for the house she lived in, meticulously manicured the lawn she played on and made sure that her home was safe.
I hope that you are seeing how important it is for fathers to be there for their children. Not only is it good for their children, but it is also good for their children's spouse, and their children's children, and so on. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deut 7:9
Through our marriage, there have been many tough times (as all marriages have) and we have weathered them together. Karyn's trust and faith in me pulled me through times of a lack of confidence. Her confidence that God would provide what was needed and her trust that God knew what was best for us developed my faith over the course of our marriage as well.
Her father's steadiness in raising her to womanhood not only paid off for her, his steadiness made me a more faithful man as well. How so? I knew that Karyn believed in me like she believed in her father. I knew that she believed in God like she believed in her father. I knew through Karyn's faith, the importance of being a steady influence on my children and also how to be a better husband.
I am grateful to my father-in-law.
I am grateful what he taught me about faith.
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