God and the Father

They say our perception of God is colored by our perception of our fathers.
My God is a good one. Wise, patient, loving, just, silly, challenging, sacrificial, a bit inexplicable at times, but unceasingly speaking truth in grace.
And for this God I am very, very grateful.

For my father, who taught me about this God and continues to remind me of his creator, I am more grateful than words can express.
I'm not sure my father even realizes just how much I respect, admire, emulate, and love him. There have certainly been times when I thought him a tyrant, prude, or even a heretic... But I realize God is none of those things. And this man who strives to remember God is none of those things.

You, not a tyrant, have helped create who I am by making decisions for me, when I was too unsure to make them myself.
You, not a prude, have modeled a different way of life that leads to so much more than we can ever comprehend.
And you, perhaps still a heretic, have taught me to think for myself - question the orthodox, challenge convention, reject normalcy for the sake of normalcy, and remain bored with satisfaction. (It may cause me to meet a few pirates along the way, but at least I will have made some friends.)

Thank you.
Thank you, Dad.
Thank you for choosing us.
Thank you for crafting me into who I am.
Thank you for reminding me of what really matters.
Thank you for being a manifestation of who God is, and how God loves.
You are my hero.


I love you.


So does Mom, and so does that other kid you are crafting.

Happy Father's Day.
Your ock.