My Dad: My Hero

Pastor Marcus Mickles

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” -Anne Geddes.

 The older I get, the more and more I learn to truly appreciate this quote. I have been blessed by being born into the family that I have, but sometimes I take that for granted. One person that has always been a constant role model for me is none other than my father. When people ask me to describe my dad, I would say that he’s a hard worker, intelligent, kind, respectable, respectful, and a strong Christian. My dad has an insane level of self-control and is always loving. He has taught me how a man should treat a lady and inspired me from a young age to be a strong person.

He has taught me what life is all about and he has shown me the way to achieve success. He has shown me the opportunities that exist in front of me, while at the same time he has left the decision up to me in terms of which path to choose. He is very confident that his efforts to make me a good human being will never go in vain, he knows he will see his confidence in me someday.

Growing up my dad did set the standard that we would be in church, and he taught us to live for God. But he also allowed us to be kids, be teenagers, and gave us incredible freedom to be who we were as individuals. He never once said to us, “don’t do that, you will hurt me as a pastor.” I will forever be grateful for how he raised us as a dad and as a pastor. I am also so thankful that I can get a front-row seat to how a pastor loves God, loves his family and at the same time, loves his church.

My dad is a man of studying and prayer. He would go pray early in the morning and always have his notebook and Bible on his lap in the evening. I watched him stand strong as a lion as a pastor when he needed to and be gentle as a dove when it called for it. He preached with the anointing of God and always sought to live out in front of us what he was preaching on Sundays. He would work all day and go when his people called and walked with them in the valleys and on the mountains of life. My dad has a pastor’s heart (Heb.13:17).

 I know my dad had his tough moments as well. He did not talk about it. My dad never acted superhuman and was not afraid to admit he was also human. This is something that pastors and church members must also remember. There is a calling in our life, but we still make mistakes, and we don’t always get it right. However, what makes my dad my hero is his faithfulness. He has been faithful to the Lord, our family, and to the church he has pastored. He has stayed the course. I Love you Daddy.