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THANK YOU, FATHER!

      I wanted to extend a great big thank you to my own Father, who left this earth when I was in my early twenties.  He may not have had the opportunity to see his oldest son graduate from college (the first in the family to do so, back in the seventies) but the lessons that he instilled in me made it possible for me to cross that academic line—and do it DEBT FREE.  Some of the lessons he taught me are worth sharing and passing on to the next generation of fathers out there in electronic print land.

      On the GOOD news side, it seems that more and more young husbands have married right, are having children at home with their wives, and enjoy being the main breadwinner.  Church is not a stranger to them, the KJV Bible is not a ‘comic book’ to them, and the family home is one of peace.  Nevertheless, it never hurts for us to give our fathers—whether they are alive or not—the proper respect that they are due.  THIS is commanded by our heavenly Father, and it is the FIRST commandment with promise.

      Being a REAL father is no joke.  He has the wisdom of Solomon, the work ethic of Boaz, and the right hook (if needed) of Samson (without the jawbone of an ass).  A man is a better father if he has Jesus Christ in his life and is not afraid to lean on the Word of God when needed.  Real fathers get more done before daylight than any tech wizard gets done all day.  Real fathers are a hearty lot—part pirate for their ability to always ‘catch’ their children before they REALLY get into trouble, and part Billy Dee Williams in the eyes of their wives—always.

      Without further delay, here are four of the lessons that I learned from MY father:

      LIFE WILL NOT PLAY FAIR:  My father had his share of discrimination and unfair ‘breaks’ against him…but I didn’t hear him complain.  He just worked harder and waited for the change to come.  He was blessed to work the same factory job that he had for more than 25 years—with all the honors that went with it.  He was proud of his family—especially his oldest son (me).

      HE WAS THE HOUSE DISCIPLINARIAN, PERIOD:  Sure, I got into my share of scrapes with my mother—but when it came to REALLY having the boom lowered on me, it was my father that had his sleeves rolled up.  When I cut up at school, it was my father who took time off from the plant and came to most of the school conferences.  One time, I recall that there was the opportunity for parents to ‘follow’ the school schedule of their kids.  Guess who was sitting at the back of one of my Junior High classes when I walked in?  It was my father…with a BIG grin, as if to say: “You ain’t gonna cut up in this class or your teacher today, boy!”

      HARD WORK IS BETTER THAN EXCUSES:  I learned from my father the beauty of developing a work ethic, because HE demonstrated HIS work ethic day in, and day out.  From my youth to the days of my retirement, if I lost one job, the hunt was on for another one—until I landed it!

      LASTLY, LEARN HOW TO THINK FOR YOURSELF:  The crowd can’t do your thinking for you. He taught me how to think for myself.  There were many chances for debate on the issues of the day with my father.  I think I won (maybe) one out of ten.  In short, you had to have your game and thoughts in order if you wanted to take him on in politics, economics and religion.  Having a clear mental picture of who you were, and NOT be ashamed of who you are—even if no one else likes your stand—still serves me well, as I head out time after time into the funky electronic universe with my columns.

      Father, you are missed—even unto this day.  Much love, your son!  And, the name you left me is still clean…just the way you wanted.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Quick Scan” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: mgmikeramey@yahoo.com.  ©2024 Barnstorm Communications International.