Nan’s story reminds us that a father’s words can shape a child’s soul, Scripture never returns empty, and the love of Christ shining through us can bring light to our neighbors living in darkness.

A Father’s Words and a Living Faith

There’s something profoundly sacred about a father’s voice speaking words of affirmation over his child. When Nan shared that even as an adult she still longed for her father’s approval, it struck a deep chord. Fathers, this is a powerful reminder—our words carry generational weight. We have the God-given responsibility to affirm our children’s worth, to remind them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, and to root their identity not in achievement or comparison, but in Christ alone.

Colossians 3:21 cautions, “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” In contrast, when fathers speak life—when they say, “I’m proud of you,” or “You are loved and enough just as God made you”—those words build strength into a child’s soul. They become the steady voice of blessing that echoes into adulthood.

Nan’s father modeled this beautifully through an extraordinary gift. He handwrote seven pages of Bible verses for her, filled with the truths and values he lived by. Later, when her son Noah was born, he added two more pages—this time from his favorite Gospel, the book of Luke. What a legacy to pass down: not just advice or memories, but the living Word of God itself.

Isaiah 55:11 reminds us, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Word of God is alive. It shapes, convicts, heals, and transforms. Nan’s father didn’t just give her verses—he gave her an inheritance of truth that continues to bear fruit in her life and in her family’s faith today.

But Nan’s story doesn’t stop within her family. It extends outward—to her neighbors, coworkers, and friends who are still searching for meaning. She spoke movingly about those around her who live in deep spiritual darkness, trying to fill an emptiness with alcohol, drugs, or endless distraction. Yet even in that darkness, Nan sees opportunity: the opportunity for the light of Christ to shine through her.

This is what it means to live by the Spirit—to let the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23) overflow from our lives into the world around us.

Nan’s story is a powerful testimony of how faith begins with receiving love—first from God, then through family—and grows as we extend that love outward. Her father planted seeds of Scripture; now, she carries that same Word into the lives of those who need to know that Jesus sees them, loves them, and has already written their story of redemption.