I respect my dad more than any man that I’ve ever come across. He has always been a man that loves, sacrifices for, and supports his family.

One of the things I really love about my dad is that he allowed me to learn my own lessons. But when I would make a mistake or fall down, he was always there to pick me up. His main rule  was, “If you start something, you finish it.” He never pressured me to be anything and he didn’t try to live his life through me, but he was always there for me, supporting me. Even today, whether I am calling him to talk about a woodworking project, parenting, marriage, etc. he is always there for me.

Growing up, I traveled all over the place with my dad so that I could play pop warner football. He would constantly wake up early on Saturday mornings to drive me 8 hours to play, all the way we would listen to classic rock and Led Zeppelin. One of my favorite memories from this time was the day of weigh-in. I almost always had to lose five pounds for weigh-in day so I wouldn’t eat the night before or the morning of. But I always knew that while I was weighing in, my dad would be running to McDonalds to get me two Egg McMuffins and an orange juice for me to dive into once I was done. I couldn’t wait—it was simple but I loved this routine we had.

My dad has never been a many of many words, but he truly lives out the Gospel. Throughout his life he has emphasized the role of Christ as a servant. Christ led as a servant, calling us to love others by serving them and that’s exactly what my dad has always done. Every night my dad would do the dishes after dinner, and this simple act was just one of the many that set him apart as a selfless man. He never complained or asked for anything in return, he just loves to serves selflessly—he finds so much joy in that.

Although my dad lives in California and we now live in Texas, he is a big part of both my life and the lives of my kids and wife. My kids love G-Pop so much and find so much joy in spending time with him. Watching your dad love your own kids that much, and your kids loving him is an incredible blessing.

—Tyler Clutts

Tyler Clutts is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Tyler’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/tylerclutts/

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