Is my Dad a patient man? I think a better question to ask is how many opportunities did my Dad have to become a patient man? The answer is plenty. My Dad is good at fixing things, but I’m not sure if he was always good at fixing things so he was always able to repair the damage of the day. Or possibly, he became good at small household repairs because I created so many opportunities for him to practice his craft.
I was about nine years old when Dad installed a towel bar in the bathroom for my Mom. It was just the right height and in just the right position. Mom was very thankful. Dad declared, "This is so secure you could do chin ups on it." Well, I decided to take Dad at his word and test this declaration. The towel bar failed the test and I walked down the hallway with towel bar in hand. Mom had to do all she could to not laugh as she was explaining what had happened to my Dad. She reminded him that he said “it was secure enough to do chin ups” so your daughter tried it out. In situations like this I was always his daughter. And boy, I was his daughter A LOT.
Dad took a deep breath and returned to the bathroom with his tools, the towel bar, and some goop to patch the divot in the wall. As he was reinstalling the towel bar he taught me the difference between being literal and using a figure of speech. I also learned about the patience and love of a father.
I am older now and I am still my father’s daughter. Although he no longer fixes my messes, I have a heavenly Father who does. He patiently watches over me. Sometimes He prevents a mess from happening. Sometimes He fixes a mess I create. And sometimes my heavenly Father allows a mess to occur so I will learn a valuable lesson.
Looking back at the patience my earthly father always had for me, I can understand and appreciate the patience both he and my heavenly Father have for me now.
Thanks Dad!
