“In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭17:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The words “love and respect” make up a popular sentiment. You can’t have one without the other. But today, another pairing caught my attention: look and respect. 

In the verse above, the word look is šāʿâ and means to gaze at, steadily, and with interest. And the word respect is rā’â meaning to look into, hence look at with interest. 

Simply put, we have affection for that which holds our attention, and we become like the object we behold. 

I’ve know a few men who have deep affection for the Holy One, whose lives reflect a deep respect for His ways. One such man is my dad. 

My dad is a man of character. He walks humbly before the Lord. He is a man of prayer.  He is a man of integrity – he does what he says he will do. He walks in wisdom and is kind. He looks and acts like The One he respects, the Holy One who holds his gaze. 

He is know as “Pop” by the grandchildren, the great grandchildren, and the in-loves. He’s been called Howie by some and “little dummy” (my least favorite) by his coworkers. But to two of us, he is simply dad. 

My dad truly is one of my favorite people on the planet, and as we celebrate him today on his 75th birthday, I want to honor him publicly. He is a good father who has consistently pointed me to the truth, loved me without condition, and championed me without complaint. Dad, thank you for honoring G-d and teaching us to do the same. I love you and I like you a lot. Happy birthday dad. 

Father – thank You for my dad. Thank You for who You made him to be and for how You’ve granted him 75 years of life. As grandma Purtell would say, please bless him real good today. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: Isaiah 13-17

July 16, 2022