Print or Email

TheDiscipleMD
He has since passed away. I first spoke to him on the phone. It was a tense moment, asking him for his daughter’s hand! It was 1978 and he had never met me or even knew that I was in love with his daughter. I remember the feeling of the conversation all these years later. He was kind and gracious as he gave me permission to marry her! I am sure he wondered who I was and what I would become. Could I provide and make his daughter happy? Would I honor and cherish her? Sometimes I wonder how he could have been so gracious under the circumstance, handing over to me, a virtual stranger, his precious daughter. I have become more and more aware of a father’s love for a daughter as I, too, have placed my faith in the man who married mine.

I have now been married to his daughter for over 46 years. Never over the 40-plus years of marriage when he was alive did he ever say or do anything to me that couldn’t be described as respectful, loving, or kind. He was a man of great wisdom and wit. He touched the lives of all those he came into contact with for the good. No one who met him will forget him. It was an honor to be his son-in-law. It was an honor to call him father.

It is a great blessing to have a wonderful, supportive father-in-law. I feel the same way Moses did when Jethro, his father-in-law, came to town. Exodus records:
“And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare…” (18:7)

Marriage can be difficult at times, but it is made all the easier when a couple has supportive parents who encourage and bless their offspring. Their example is fundamental to the success of a young couple looking for direction. He is missed by many, but his support and love are still blessing the lives of his daughter and a young man who wanted so desperately to become a man worthy of his blessing all those years ago!