As Father’s Day has passed, I have done a lot of reflecting on my relationship with my dad. I was raised in a Christian church where my father preached on Sunday mornings. There's a lot of stigma surrounding preachers’ kids and how they all inevitably become Ariel from the movie "Footloose." Although those ideas may hold true for some, I wanted to share 6 wonderful perks that I’ve encountered from having a preacher for a dad.
1. The power of prayer.
Whether religious or not, when we face hard times most of us wish that others would keep us in their thoughts or prayers. My dad has prayed for my happiness and well-being all of my life, and I know that is something that he will always do. Now that I’ve moved away, it is so comforting to know that I can come to him when I’m struggling and that he will be thinking of me and praying for me. While my problems are usually only as big as fighting with my roommate or getting through finals week, still every little bit helps.
2. Having a squad.
Being raised in church has provided me with a big family of people that I know I can rely on. Most of the members of my church have watched me grow up, and I know that I could come to them and find love and support in any situation. They are a quirky bunch, but they care for me 10 times as much as the next person would or should. They have come to mean so much to me, and I couldn’t imagine not having that support system in my life.
3. Lessons in love.
It’s a really cool thing for people to grow up seeing true love between their parents or grandparents. Watching the way that my father loves God has been a separate, but just as important, thing to witness. No matter what a person’s beliefs are, I think that seeing a man feel so passionately about something and being so dedicated to his love for something is a very special thing. My dad’s trust and faith in God has been an example for me not just in my own relationship with God but also in my love for my family and friends. He has set an example that I hope to model throughout the rest of my life.
4. Having a theological Spark notes on hand.
As I started my freshman year of college, I noticed that everyone became very deep all of the sudden. I embarked in numerous conversations about beliefs and dreams and religion. We all compared and contrasted our upbringings and what we thought was the real truth about things. This was when I realized the resource that was my father. Although I had grown up in church, I had never read the entire Bible and had so many new questions about it. Because my father is not only a preacher, but also a bit of a nerd, he has studied numerous other religions alongside Christianity. I was able to ask him so many questions and get answers, and when he didn’t know, we looked things up together. Having those deep theological talks with classmates is really awesome, but having them with your dad is something unexpected and even more awesome.
5. Learning to forgive.
My dad was and is a normal dad, and he gets angry or disappointed with me just as much as the next parent does. However, hearing his messages about God’s forgiveness and seeing his own relationship with God has taught me a lot. Contrary to what some may believe, even preachers fall short of being a great person sometimes. Everyone makes mistakes, and watching my dad humble himself and own up to those mistakes has been a great lesson for me. He has always tried to show me the kind of compassion that he finds in his relationship with God. Not only has my dad been such a forgiving and accepting father, but I have learned how to be those things with myself and with the people around me. His methods may not match up with everyone’s personal beliefs or lifestyles, but he has shown me how important it is to try to be accepting and forgiving to others -- a lesson that applies to people of all walks of life.
6. Having some structure.
Dad, I’m sorry if you’re reading this, but I did not spend every Saturday night of high school snuggled in bed with a good book. Sometimes I was at a party reading a good book. Of course, I wasn’t ever drinking with those other crazy kids, but reading in that atmosphere can be chaotic. Anyhow, no matter what kind of hell I raised on Saturday night, one thing was for sure: I would be at church bright and early the next day. This was not always my favorite thing, but I sure am thankful for it looking back. If I didn’t have a parent that cared enough to instill that sense of responsibility and respect in me I honestly don’t know if I would be where I am today. Even if I had went and not listened to a word my dad preached while I was there, just the act of taking responsibility and showing up has influenced the kind of person that I am. I think that I needed the structure of having those rules in my life, even if I thought they were stupid at the time.
I am so thankful to have grown up a preacher’s kid for so many more reasons than just these six. Even if some of the perceptions are true and we "PKs" do have a small sense of rebellious need for adventure, I always knew that my dad would understand that. I wouldn’t change anything about the way that I was raised or who I was raised by. These six perks are just part of the reason that I loved being raised by a God-loving preacher man. Everything about it has made me who I am today. So Dad, if you’re reading this, you keep doing you, boo. You’ve been such a great example for me. Thank you for everything that you’ve done.
