A Well-Worn Faith
“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.”
Psalm 1:1–2
When I think of my dad, one image often comes to mind, one for which I am very thankful!
Dad worked in a factory his entire career. Every morning, he carried a black metal lunch box that looked a lot like the one Herman Munster carried on the old television show The Munsters. The top was rounded, and inside it held a thermos clipped in place.
Tucked between the thermos and the curved top of that lunch box, my dad kept a current, small copy of the Our Daily Bread devotional booklet.
Month after month, Dad took that devotional booklet to work. At lunch, amid the noise of factory life, he would read the day’s devotional and the accompanying Scripture. Over time, the booklet became worn and bent. It eventually took on the exact shape of the thermos it was wrapped around.
As a child, I often saw that little devotional booklet on our kitchen table while my Dad’s lunch was being packed. The pages were worn, the edges curled. The booklet looked well-used because it was.
Our home was not always easy. My mom lived with significant physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges stemming from a traumatic brain injury she sustained as a teenager. My dad’s attempts to deal with my mom often added fuel to the fire. He was not perfect. He would be the first to tell you that. Yet amid the challenges and chaos, he consistently sought to walk with Jesus, and I noticed.
Psalm 1 describes a person whose delight is in God’s Word and who meditates on it day and night. Such a person becomes like a tree planted by streams of water, continually nourished and strengthened by God’s truth.
Looking back, that well-worn devotional booklet told a story. It revealed a man who understood that spiritual strength is not built in dramatic moments but formed through daily time with God.
The greatest legacy a father can leave is not perfection but a consistent example of pursuing a deeper walk with Christ, one day at a time. My Father left such a legacy for me!
Thank You, Lord, for fathers whose well-worn devotionals and Bibles point us to a well-loved Savior. May we point others to Him as well!
Joni’s Personal Father’s Day Reflection
Joni Eareckson Tada reflects on her father’s remarkable strength, faith, and perseverance, recalling how he rebuilt his beloved barn twice after devastating fires and inspired his family through his Christ-like character and trust in God.
