My dad is one of my greatest heroes. Not because he was perfect, he wasn’t. Not because he was successful, though he was. Not because he taught me to fly fish, though he did. No, his hero status was born in his imperfection and grew as the Savior worked His perfect love into and out through my dad’s heart.
I remember the days when dad drank too much, worked too hard and argued with my mom too much. Even then, I saw him as my hero. Even amid all the junk, we still knew he loved us. Saturday morning cartoons were often shared together. Four kids and dad huddled around the TV: laughing, eating cheerios and dad nursing his hangover with a Bloody Mary. Precious memories. Not perfect, but precious none-the-less.
He’s my hero because when he was utterly broken, he surrendered to the only One who could fix it, and then he never looked back. When dad gave Jesus control of his life he was “all in”. I watched as he gave up alcohol and cigarettes and slowly started to let God re-arrange his priorities. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen perfectly, but the change was profound. I couldn’t believe God could do what I saw happening before my eyes! That’s when I knew I wanted to spend my life helping others know about God’s transforming love and power. I wanted to become a “fisher” of men and women and children!
The last year of his life my dad was in and out of the hospital as he battled lung cancer. He had touched countless lives over the years and many concerned family and friends surrounded us with love and support. It was the “unexpected” friends, however, that illustrate why he was my hero.
- The five-year old kids from his Sunday School class who wrote cards of encouragement.
- The texts and calls from lesbians who said that if they could ever love a man, they would love Jay.
- The atheist who called my dad was his best friend.
They didn’t fit his demographic. They didn’t think or believe like he did, but they loved him deeply because he had loved them.
Dad is my hero because of his love. Love for his Savior, for his family, for me and for others. Not a perfect love, but a life-changing love none-the-less. With every breath, I pray I will follow his example.
By Kathy Bright
©2023 Copyright Kathy Bright. All rights reserved.