My Dad Taught Me Stewardship Through How He Lives His Life.

Today is Father’s Day. And according to Apple Maps, I’m 317 miles away from my dad. (My wife and I are addressing a stubborn health challenge with which he has been particularly supportive.)

With that in mind, I felt an added sense of responsibility to write something meaningful in his Father’s Day card before posting it earlier this week. A generic message of thanks and wishes for a nice day wouldn’t do, nor would our usual banter. I had to dig deeper beneath the surface. And I’m very glad I did.

Paying a bit more attention to what, specifically, I’m grateful to my dad for brought about a powerful realisation: more than anyone else, he has taught me the principle of stewardship through the way in which he lives his life. He is exemplary. He cares in both word and deed. He has no hidden agenda and no thought of personal reward or gain in exchange for his acts of service.

I’ve seen him help all sorts of people in all sorts of situations, including those who have been at odds with him in the past. Yet he holds no grudges and serves regardless.

That’s the sort of lesson that people pay attention to. And it’s the sort of lesson that can change lives.

My dad is much less inclined towards writing and speech than I am, but I can’t imagine that any words he might utter could supplant the impact of his lived example.

He taught me the principle of stewardship without speeches or sermons; he taught me through his life.

So, while I’m unable to enjoy a Father’s Day barbecue with my dad today, I’m more grateful than ever that he is my dad and that he gave me strong roots to which I could return.

Written at Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon, England.