s
Day, I paused to thank my Heavenly Father for His grace and mercy which He
first revealed to me through my earthly father, Bert Silvius.
 |
| With Dad and Sister, Margie |
One of my earliest memories of Dad was singing with him in
our little Methodist Church, in Dundee, Ohio.
Dad made a point of sharing the hymnal with me so that I could see the
time-honored words of the great hymns of the faith. As I sang along with Dad the hymn "This Is My Father's World"
and observed his big hands, strong and toughened by the toil of farm work, I
remember feeling so safe and glad because my world seemed to be held and
controlled by his strong hands.
As I grew into elementary age and could work on the farm, I
was glad to work alongside my Dad even though it was more fun to play with my
sister or my cousins when they were around.
Our family shared the house with my Dad's
parents and my Uncle, Glen Silvius.
There were many happy times for me, but there were also times of strife. You
see, farming had its challenges for my Dad. Working in partnership with two
brothers and the watchful eye of his own father who had his own ideas, provided
many opinions on how things should be done.
Yet I never heard my Dad show disrespect for his brothers or his father.
Instead, he worked hard and was usually the one to whom the others came when
advice was needed.
Gradually, I came to know that my earthly father was not in
control of the world. There were people
and forces much larger than Dad that appeared to control the course of
events. But, through my Dad's example of responsibility and
respect, I learned to know that this big, uncertain world actually belongs to
the God of Heaven. And eventually I came
to know this God personally as my Heavenly Father. This process took many years but it came
about in an unusual way.
As I grew into my teens, I faced adolescent challenges of
relationships both in our family and at school.
I obeyed my parents who challenged me with the help of regular "disciplinary reminders" over the years. I came to realize my own tendency to be
selfish and mean, often to the chagrin of my sister or our farm cats. Many times, I was sorry for my behavior, and
I knew that it disappointed both my parents and the God of Heaven.
Meanwhile, over the years I had grown used to observing Dad
both in public and in private. I watched
him in front of our church reading passages from the Bible, or leading in
prayer and sharing ideals that seemed wise but so hard for me to attain. I watched Dad as I worked with him, my
cousin, and my uncles on the farm. Both
uncles had "short
fuses" and
would verbally abuse my Dad when things didn't
go the way they wanted it to go. Yet, as
I noted earlier, I never heard my Dad respond in a disrespectful manner. He was not perfect but I had to admit that
the words he read from the Bible and the prayers he prayed in public were
consistent with the way he tried to live outside of church during the week. As
a result, Dad showed me enough of what God must be like to prepare my heart for
the day when I would confess that I too was a struggling sinner who needed God's grace and mercy to deal with my sin
nature and to save me from my own selfish tendencies. For that I say “Thank
you, Dad.”
I considered Dad well educated and wise even though he voluntarily ended his
formal education in his 8th grade year in order to help his parents
on the farm. Although his formal
education stopped, Dad’s love for learning continued throughout his life. He read every farm magazine and scientific
book he could obtain. His love for
mathematics, botany, and chemistry allowed us to converse about my organic
chemistry when I was home from college as he milked the cows and I forked
manure. He and Mom not only helped to
pay for my college education, but they both shared their love for learning in a
contagious way. Far from being envious
of my "higher
education” Dad, and my Uncle Glen who had no sons of his own, were my greatest
male encouragers.
And so, on this Father's
Day, I can truly say, "Thank
you, Dad.
I miss you still.
I trust that one day, you will enjoy a
reunion with all of us who are counting on God's grace and the promise of Real Life to come.
Although at this time you may not have the ability
or the time to do so, I believe you would enjoy seeing your grandchildren and
their spouses, and your great-grandchildren.
Being
"mechanically
minded" has
skipped a generation, you know; and, your grandson, Brad, demonstrates the same
versatility in both mental and mechanical skills that you had.
Space does not permit me to go into details here but I have recently written about one of his projects,
The Little Leaders Company. Brad was aided by his gifted wife, Raquel, and other family members and friends in the production of several DVD's that are now teaching biblical values to children.
Brad has also taught Abby and I much about ourselves and God's goodness.
Just today, he gave me a call for Father's Day today which was a blessing as
always.
Furthermore, you will remember the little blond granddaughter you used to carry
around.
Just wait until you see what a
lovely woman Melinda Maetta has become.
She's a nurse and nurse supervisor, and you
had a part in igniting that interest in her-- one day, she will love to tell
you about it.
She also makes a good
pastor's wife. You haven't
personally met our son-in-law, Steve,
but
as
a young pastor, he now stands before the members of
Northpoint Church of the Nazarene and reads
from the Bible, preaches, and prays.
God
has done a great work in his life and continues to mold and shape him.
You will also enjoy Mindy and Steve's son, Caleb, and
two daughters, Kiara Maetta and Della Rose Katherine.
And now Mindy and Steve's three children remind me of myself when I sat in church, listening to you read from the
Bible and pray—with at least one exception:
they are already ministering through helping with technology (Caleb) and
in music (all three). As was my experience, I pray that their love and respect
for their earthly parents will grow in such a way that they will come to know,
love, and trust their Heavenly Father with their lives.
I didn
't
mean to be this
"long
winded
" but
would be amiss, Dad, if I didn't
mention the greatest person in my life, the Abby that you admired in both words
and actions.
She has been the key to
anything good that has come from my family and my work by God's grace.
Dad, your work on Earth is finished, but ours
continues. We pray for the grace from
God to continue to love Him and to follow His Word and the principles that make
for a godly family. Perhaps the prayer you wrote and prayed nearly fifty years
ago this year is a fitting way to end this reflection. Thanks for praying and applying God's principles as my Dad.”
May all of us come to
understand that right living alone exalteth a family,
that only in Thy will can
peace and harmony abound.
Help us to live together as
people who have been forgiven a great debt.
Help us to be gentle, walking
softly with one another.
Help us to be understanding, lest we shall add to the world=s sorrow.
Help us to stand for what is
right,
Not because it may yield
dividends later,
but because it is right now.
Help us to be as anxious that
the rights of others shall be recognized
as we are that our own shall
be established.
Help us to be eager to forgive
as we are to be forgiven.
God help us all to be
ministers of mercy
and ambassadors of kindness for Jesus,
In Whose Name we pray, “Our
Father Who are in Heaven…”
Bert Silvius, April 19, 1964
