It’s Father’s Day and again I’m awake early. I scroll through my Facebook feed and stop at a wonderful post by a friend in praise of her dad. I quote a few of the 20 things she highlighted:

My Dad who starts every meal (three times a day) holding hands and saying grace!

My Dad who reads the Bible every morning at ten past seven! And everybody has to be dressed and at the table!

My Dad who is proud of our ancestors and taught me that I’m strong – great winners! I can jump a wall with my God!

My Dad who loves my mom for life! And makes me believe in a lifelong commitment between husband and wife.

My Dad who turned to his God when he had to make major life decisions and waited calmly for advice and guidance until he was sure he was making the right choice. And not looking back afterwards.

My Dad who brought me up with love and fairness!

My Dad who still sits at the head of the table when our family of 17 sit down for a meal! And who still takes the lead with his laughter and noise!

My Dad who is always part of me and Mom’s long conversations that last for hours, at least twice a week on the phone.

My Dad, who I love endlessly, of whom I’m incredibly proud, and who helped me create my identity!

Today I honour my dad!

Wow, thanks for the great example, Oom Thys. He is finishing his race here on earth very successfully.

We’re all taking part in a spiritual race, a race that we’ll finish on the day our lives end. Fortunately, we are not alone. There are people on the stands that encourage us and cheer us on. They are the people who have already finished the race, like the great characters of the Old Testament. Their stories teach us how we must tackle our race.

Then there are people who are running with us. We can also learn from them, for example from Oom Thys. Let’s look around us and learn from those who’ve been running for a long time. Let’s follow their example and ensure that we finish our race successfully.

Maybe we can then help others running with us and cheer them on to finish the race of life successfully. Like Hebrews 12:1 says: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!

Scripture
Hebrews 12:1-3

Reflection
How is your race going?
How do your fellow runners see you?
Do you have to do a few things differently to help others in the race?

Prayer
Lord, I’m so happy I’m not alone in this race! Thank you for all the people who’ve been an example to me over the years, who’ve encouraged me and helped build my character. Please help me to also encourage the people around me. Amen.