When I think of the word humble, two people come to mind: Jesus is the first, and my dad is the second. All throughout my life, my dad was a living example of humility. It seemed to come naturally to him, being the very essence of his character. He was a quiet man, always willing to listen, to see another person’s point of view, to empathize, and to place his family and friends’ needs before his own. In Philippians 2:3, the Apostle Paul admonished his readers, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” My dad seemed to live this verse in every aspect of his life.

My dad truly enjoyed people. I can close my eyes and picture him conversing with others, always with a smile on his face, his cordiality a natural outflow from the warmth in his heart. My dad never thought himself so important as to feel his needs should come first or that he should complain. At least not around his children. Even our family vacations seemed to be planned around providing the best possible experience for us (though I’m quite certain we kids didn’t always appreciate this as much as we should have). He never gave us the feeling that we were simply being dragged along, a necessary evil to fulfilling his own recreational aspirations.

Once, when I was a child, perhaps 10 or 12 years old, I recall my dad stopping to help a stranded motorist. I asked him why, and rather than offer a response that would imply any heroics on his part, he simply said, “I’d want someone to stop for me.” The simple fact that this memory has remained a part of my conscious thought suggests the impact this experience had on me.  I find that his routine behavior modeled for me an ideal that simply couldn’t have been effectively conveyed with mere words. Indeed, my dad often demonstrated the principles I, and my siblings, would grow to live by.

This extended far beyond our home and, at the height of his business career, my dad took several young coworkers under his wing, becoming not only their mentor but also their friend. His kindness and soft-spoken charm allowed him to make friends easily and his genuine concern for the welfare of others reflected his love to all who knew him. Being myself a rather difficult child, I am quite certain I tried his patience more often than I care to admit, but he never ceased to live the message of James 1:19; “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” All through my formative years and well into my adulthood, I watched how my dad interacted with others and tried my best to emulate him. Like he was to his young coworkers, he was a mentor to me, too.

The prophet Micah, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote these words, “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) My dad passed from this life on March 31, 2018 at the age of 90. This verse from Micah had come to have significance to him during his last days, perhaps because it reflected so well the principles he tried to live by and to pass on to his children. While my dad would be the first to admit he was far from perfect, in the words of my youngest brother, “If I could be half the man my dad was, I’d be twice the man as most.”

The last time my father and I read the Bible together, we read from the book of John. One passage we shared was the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, in which we see how Jesus met this woman right where she was, talked to her without judgment, and humbly offered her the living water of new life in Christ. And this is how Jesus meets all of us, right where we are, offering us new life as only he can. In John 5:24, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” And in John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  (John 6:35) It’s not too late for you to find new life in Jesus Christ. Just do like the Samaritan woman did in John 4:15 and ask!

In honor of my dad, I leave you with this old Irish blessing: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.