Fathers Say…ಮಾದರಿ

Love Is an Action Verb

My dad is a product of the depression-era generation. Even though he was born in Italy and came here in 1936 at age sixteen, he still experienced some of the effects of living in America during the latter part of the Depression just prior to World War 2.

I would often ask him the question, “What was it like to live during the Depression?” In an age of instant everything, it would be hard for a millennial to imagine a world where food was rationed, or not even available to so many.

My father would respond with few words. He’d always recount how little it took back then to make one happy, or to eat. He never had a negative thing to say about his situation, and always seemed to exude a calm spirit when describing what we call hardship.

The things about my dad that I always respected were his simplicity, his integrity, and the kindness he always showed to us.

My dad was a lot like many men of his generation who showed little emotion. Yet, there was no mistaking his love for me. He seemed to understand that love was not an emotion, but an action. He certainly followed James’ admonition that commands us to be doers of the word, and not just hearers. (James 1:22)

He could not “do” love enough for his family or friends.

For example, once when we were visiting a family that was down on their luck, I saw him quietly slip them some money before we left. It was his way of saying how much he cared without saying a word.

That’s how I learned about benevolence.

In the shoe repair shop he owned with his brother, they rarely needed to hire anyone. But when he did hire someone, the man he hired was an African‐American. Not another Italian, or someone like him.

That’s when I learned about true affirmative action that comes from the heart, and not from the courts.

We can talk a lot about what the Bible says. But it’s only when we do what Jesus asks us that the Bible takes on any sort of meaning to those who need to see it acted out rather than preached about. I learned from my dad how to show people what the Gospel looks like.

Question: Are we allowing our children to see the Gospel in us, or merely to hear about it? What can you do with your children to help model Jesus in their world?