My Father
By Deacon David Moses
My father was born Hilary Moses on July 22, 1922, to James Moses and Fredricka Lewis of Scarborough Tobago, a tiny island in the Caribbean. He was the first of five children. Although his education was limited, his teachings and his actions proved him to be wise beyond his education level.
He was faithful to our mom. I say our mom because this is not about only me. My father truly loved my mom. When he passed away in 2006 it was a few months short of their 60th wedding anniversary.
He was a man obedient to the Word and followed the Lord’s Word. “Honesty is a man’s best policy,” he would pour into us daily. My dad was honest in everything he did and he taught his family his philosophy – honesty was not a choice but a priority. He also instilled in us that we must continue to have a good name in this life. My dad would always say to us, “I will stand by you, but if you get in trouble for stealing do not expect my parental support.” He did not condone stealing. My dad told me that I was special. He also told me to think before I answer – don’t let my mouth lead me. He became my best friend sometime in 1986. It was then that he truly began to pour wisdom into me. Now that I think back on that time in my life, I see it was the power of God in him teaching me.
My dad was a very hard working man, and instilled in us essential work ethics and the value of earning your own income. He would always say, when you work for it, you treasure it more than if it is given to you. At the same time, he cared so much about his family, and would not let his work duties interfere with his family principles. He knew when to quit work for the day.
For some reason, we couldn’t get away with lying to him. He demanded honesty and I respected that. He could read us too well. He worked hard at his job not because of the money, but because he believed in what he did. My dad was a porter. We were poor, but in our house we had an abundance of love.
His life was a living example of how a family should love one another, how to honor your spouse, how not to spare the rod and spoil the child, how to love yourself always because you are a special child of God, and how to be thankful every day for what the Lord has blessed you with. He never wasted a moment to teach us many life lessons. I can say a lot more about what I’ve learned from my dad and how I was raised, but the fact is, without him I will not be the individual I am today.
My father not only instilled in us godly values, but he also instilled those value in our kids, his grandchildren. He babysat them and got to spend a great deal of time with them. What they learned from him, was what we learned from him; we just continued teaching it to our kids and there was no breakdown of the cycle.
My dad started coming to church with me. I must tell you, God always has a plan. I was already saved, but when your parent begins to come and serve the Lord with you, you really begin to hear God speaking to you. You start to see everything that your dad did and say was leading up to that moment. Then, to hear him say out of his own mouth, you did not have to hear it from anyone, “I am proud of the man that you turned into.” I believed that I grew taller that day.
It is because of God and that man (my father) that he lent unto me to teach and guide me, I am this man that you see standing before you. Now I have a leader that reminds me a lot of my father. It just goes to show that it’s all about god’s plan and His will for us.
There is so much more I can write, but let me leave you with these two scriptures that embodies God, my father and my leader’s teachings:
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the LORD,thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end.
Zechariah 8:12 – For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.