I’d like to introduce a new voice to my blog – the voice of my daughter. She has always been the writer in the family (I didn’t really start writing in any significant way until my late 30’s, she’s been writing stories since early elementary school) and at the age of 18, she has taken on the role of life-on-life disciple-maker. And although she is new to the journey, I believe that she has something to add to the conversation. So from time to time, I will be inserting her thoughts. I trust that they will impact you as she has me. These are her words, I have not edited them for content in any way. Enjoy the read.
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Recently the Eckert family went on a road trip down to Boston to spend a few days in relaxation, but also exploration. During the 9 hour trip, my dad’s mind tends to get creative. This trip, he came up with the brilliant idea to do a father-daughter blog. As someone who loves writing, it didn’t take long for me to jump on board – although I kept him hanging for a bit!
It’s going to be a journey for me, especially since I have just started mentoring three grade eight/nine girls on my own. I’m constantly asking questions, and wondering if what I’m doing is actually going to be worth anything – to them, or me. But my dad, being the veteran that he is, guides me as I make decisions, or am just flat out frustrated with how a meeting with the girls went.
Since this is the first blog from me on my dad’s blog, it only made sense to me to write about few things my dad has taught me about mentoring, or just about life in general.
Monotonous love
I tend to be judgmental at times of people, sometimes without even knowing. Dad not only constantly tells me to remember that everyone has a story, but he finds out about everyone’s story. He recognizes that everyone has a past, and everyone makes mistakes, making him understand that they need to be forgiven. He has this way of loving people beyond their mistakes. He won’t typically verbally tell you he loves you, but he will show you by sticking with you – week in, and week out.
Keep moving forward
When I first started meeting with my girls, I went in with high expectations – of myself, and of the girls. Dad taught me right away to be prepared to be disappointed, especially since none of us could live up to my expectations, including myself. But he also pushed me to keep going. Even though you get frustrated or angry that nothing is working, or that you feel you aren’t doing anything worthwhile, keep going. After the very first day of meeting the girls, I went home feeling all of this. Dad not only told me to keep going, but to give myself a small, achievable goal – if I were to walk away from this experience with only myself changed, it was worth it. I know, sounds harsh, but I can’t help the girls change unless they want to change themselves. This goal was my motivation to take the next steps.
You don’t need all the “spiritual” jibber jabber to prove your faith
Dad has never been one to talk all spiritual. I’ve always thought that was weird, especially since I would hear other friends talk like that and I would be in awe of their faith. I then often felt like I needed this talk to prove to my girls that I knew everything – which is so far from the truth! Dad on the other hand, is all about action. He doesn’t need to tell you how amazing God’s love is – he just shows it. He doesn’t need to constantly express the need to help the broken – he just helps in the healing process. He doesn’t share spiritual stories of how he witnessed the glory of God – he just goes wherever God tells him to go, not needing a spectacular story to tell about why he listened. So, no, you will never hear my dad talk super spiritually, but he has got wisdom and faith that is inspirational.
These are not the only things I have ever learned from my dad – I don’t think I could count everything he has taught me. Overall, my dad is the greatest man I know, and I’m excited to share part of his blog with him!
Madison