Psalm 37:37 says, “Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; for the man of peace will have a posterity.” Tonight, in this short post, I would like to take time to mark and honor my father, who was just such a person.
It is hard to believe that it has now been twenty long years since this man, who had a greater impact upon my life than any other person I ever knew, passed away. I think about him often; and, along with my sisters, I have done so a lot throughout this day in particular.
He did not get to live long enough to see me move to my present place of service, where I have been for almost two decades. Nor did he survive long enough to see my three kids grow up, graduate high school and college, get married, and start families of their own. I would love for him to have lived to see his great grandchildren.
And yet, I like to think that somehow, perhaps, he passed on with the peace of knowing that he had glorified God as a follower of Jesus Christ by living a good life, by loving and providing for his family, and by leaving a significant mark upon those who knew and loved him. And even though he never got to meet the spouses of his grandchildren or those great grandchildren who would become his legacy, I am confident that he will do so one day in the hereafter.
For my part, I hope that he would be pleased with me as his son. I hope that he would be proud of who I am, of what I stand for, and of how I have chosen to live my life. All of these things have truly been done in good part because of his stamp upon me. As a man so marked, I trust that I have borne not only his name, but also his imprint well.
What is more, I can only hope that, when the time comes that I myself follow him into eternity, I too will have glorified God by my life, and have left a similar imprint upon my own children and grandchildren. With God’s help, I am attempting to do these very things.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/psalms/37-37.htm.