This summer I decided to write out the book of Proverbs. I purchased a really cool journal specially designed for this project. It is called The 17:18 Series and it is based on Deuteronomy 17:18. Moses commands the king to not simply acquire a copy of the law from the scroll publishing house, but to hand write his own copy of the law. The purpose of such a copy written by his own hand was so that he would read it, learn to fear the Lord, obey the commands of the Lord so that his heart would not turn away from the Lord. I thought the concept was interesting and I really wanted to try it. I bought the book. The next day I was on a plane to Florida. My father had taken a turn for the worse and I was rushing to his bedside. I got there in time to say goodbye. I joined my mom, my four siblings, my daughter and some of my nieces and nephews as we sang Amazing Grace , my sweet father breathed his last breath on this earth and started his new life in heaven.
The next day I sat down to begin my “proverbs project”. As I wrote out the first 11 verses of Chapter 1, I was struck at how we are told that these proverbs will give us understanding and wisdom. Then I came to verse 8, “listen when your father corrects you, and don’t neglect your mothers teaching. Verse 9 continues, what you learn from them will crown you with grace and will be a chain of honor around your neck.”
I was struck by the imagery of a crown of grace and a chain of honor. I have learned so much from my parents. So much about grace and forgiveness, about mercy and love, about giving the benefit of the doubt, not judging but accepting, about always seeing the good in someone.
A crown of grace and a chain of honor. When I think about all my father taught me all that he modeled to me;
Grace to forgive when I didn’t want to, to accept others, to love the unlovable.
My dad showed me that to extend mercy was not a sign of weakness but of strength.
That you cannot out give God. My dad had the most giving spirit of anyone I know. He always was willing to give of himself and his time no matter the personal cost.
My dad taught me to wait before you speak. To ask yourself is it kind, is it necessary, is it truthful before saying anything. After he lost his voice to cancer of the larynx he told me he couldn’t believe how many useless words he had used.
Dad taught me to always see the best in people. That a kind and encouraging word was worth more than silver and gold, though Dad would often say he would take the gold and silver too.
He taught me how to accept loss graciously. When I got a chronic illness, he shared with me it wasn’t so much what you do but how you do it. That loss was a part of life and that to be gracious was a more pleasant way to live.
My Dad was a wonderful storyteller. No one could spin a yarn quite like my dad. Even after losing his voice the stories never stopped. He showed me that stories where a big part of sharing who you were, after all he would say, Jesus shared in stories. When I see my dad again in heaven, oh the stories he will share!
John ends his gospel with these words;
Jesus also did many other things. If they were written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25
That’s how I feel, if I was to share all the many lessons my father taught me, it would take a lifetime. So instead I will wear them as a crown of grace and a chain of honor.
