Quiet, Strong and Steady Oak

“To grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

As I cherish these days with my precious daddy, my thoughts often lead me to his legacy and imagining mighty oak trees.  What a beautiful picture of a strong mighty outstretched tree with roots so deep that it doesn’t fear the wind and storms.  A creation that is so content with being planted where the Lord has placed him, that he is humbled to realize that his steady arms have provided a place of rest and protection to those of us that are blessed to be the fruit of his faithfulness.  My daddy is a man that has carried such a quiet strength.  He has lived rooted in peace, patience and such a spirit of steadiness.  My daddy was a glorious oak of righteousness. 

Legacy is such a strong word that really begins with love.  Each day, each act of kindness was out of love that over a lifetime became a legacy.  My daddy chose to love well.  He chose to enjoy each day and not let the worries of tomorrow consume his thoughts.  He chose to be faithful in the task that had been given him each day. 

As a child, I watched him enjoy his work at Berkline and be a pillar of strength to his work family for all those years…..so quiet, so strong, so steady.

I watched him drive across the Upper Cumberland to small churches and love on the families and have a passion to share Jesus.  He would often sleep in between services on a pew or in the car while we would play.

I felt his love and acceptance through thick and thin as a teenager.  His arms always open through good decisions and times of rebellion. …so quiet, so strong, so steady.

I have been blessed to walk through my years, with my daddy as my friend.  A man I looked forward to seeing and sitting and talking with and laughing at his stories. Oh how I loved to hear that laugh.

What a blessing to watch him as a granddad love on my beautiful babies.  He has such a gift of reaching each one of them right where they are and pouring into each of them.  He would cheer for Taylor on the soccer field, sit and rest and talk with Ethan, or ballet dance with Lily.  Oh how that precious man loved them so beautifully….so quiet, so strong, so steady.

I sat in awe as he pursued his counseling degree and accomplish that goal.  I watched him the past few years push himself when his body was weary with the heart of reaching just one made every ache worth it.

 

A precious man who laid in the hospital and told us “I want my legacy to be everyone feels the love of Jesus through my family.” What a precious man whose life has been so amazingly quiet, so beautifully strong and so unwaveringly steady. 

The last weeks of my daddy’s life I listened to him pray.  His words were of thanksgiving for God’s love, not for his circumstances to be changed.  Watching my daddy has made me believe that legacy is tangible when our love for Christ, overpower our circumstances.  Honoring the legacy of my daddy is taking the time to really see people and loving them to the cross of Calvary.   Honoring him is glorifying God right where we have been planted and rising up as an oak of righteousness.  Our root are strong, after all, they are connected to this precious man.  May our faith be ever so quiet, and beautifully strong and unwaveringly steady as our roots grow deeper and we seek to stretch out our arms so others may find a place of peace to rest .