Dads (and other father figures) are often known for supplying sage wisdom, sometimes wrapped in humor, and other times just wrapped in good, common sense. Herewith are bits of wisdom from around the world, shared through voices of the children who love and value their dads. —Editors.
My dad used to ask when I was just a young kid, “Were you friends today with someone who really needed a friend?” It made me think about friendship in a way that has blessed me immensely as it changed my instinct from being friends only when it was fun or easy to living a life open to caring about others.
Stephanie Sahlin Jackson
The best advice I got from my father? His constant echo of Eleanor Roosevelt’s words: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Tania Acuna
My dad encouraged me to get all my education at once and not hesitate if I even wanted graduate degrees. He told me how easy it is to leave and how hard it is to come back. My dad is the reason I have my Ph.D. today. He saw potential that I never knew I had.
Bonnie Mclean
During my college and high school years my dad would remind me, “Go to bed. Tomorrow will be better.”
Lisa McGill-Vargas
Once, when I was trying to make a decision and brought all the pros and cons to my dad, he said, “Life is like a pot of soup. After you add your ingredients, you have to let it simmer.” After the weekend I was able to make my choice.
Ausma Kinney
If you are to study abroad, remember Joseph and his faithfulness, do your best where you are, and trust God for the rest. In this phase of your life, focus on your studies, have fun, and have good friends. Remember that God is with you, and He will make the coming years blessed ones!
Jood Dawais
My dad told me, “As a woman, finish your education. No one can take that away from you.”
Sheila Mathew
My dad used to say, “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.”
Chisomo Khomera
The gist of my favorite advice from dad was this: If I want to be happy and content with my life, I need to remember the less fortunate around me. There will always be people who are better off and worse off. I can be driven to be like the better-off people, but I should not forget where I came from, and those who are less fortunate.
Roy Varghese
Be very careful with words. It is possible to get through conflict and tension without hurting another’s feelings if you pray before you speak. He has lived that advice.
Cindy Tutsch
My dad gave me three solid pieces of advice. 1. Work—it’s all in your attitude. 2. Not being in debt is one of life’s greatest freedoms. 3. Spend money on people, not things.
Lynn Masih
For my dad, it wasn’t what he said, but how he acted. I always felt complete, no-strings-attached love. He helped me form a picture of a God who always loves me, no matter what.
Sheila Elwin
My father would remind me, “Keep in prayer daily. Don’t forget it.”
Samuel Saguda
The best advice from Dad? “God never said life would be easy, but He did promise to be there to help you through it, so lean on Him.”
Amudha Mullikin
My dad wrote this in a birthday card to me years ago. It was something along the lines of “The mind is much like a flower. Unless it is fully open, its fragrance will not be revealed.” These words remind me always to be open and accepting of new ideas/thoughts/people, to consider different opinions, to challenge certain conventions/norms, and above all, to live my life bravely and happily, without being swayed by the opinions of those whose minds have yet to bloom fully.
Jasmol Sardana
The best advice my dad gave me? “Keep the faith.”
CJ Hobbs
Be prepared to shed a tear as employees at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church World Headquarters share heartfelt memories of wise advice from their fathers.
