Dedicated to my dad, Jordon MacLean. I love you and want to be like you in every way 🙂 You’re my hero. I know you’re smiling sunshine on us from above.
Loved ones,
Did any of you have a super hero-role model growing up? Do you have one now?
I do, his name is Dad.
As some of you know, my dad passed away when I was 9 years old. At that time he was invincible, incredible, invested in me and sincerely the best dad ever. He died as my super hero, 13 years later he’s still my superhero. I still want to be Just Like Him.
Lil Wayne has this song, “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”, in which he basically talks all about being like his adopted dad the Birdman. Not condoning everything he does, but in clear respect for his pops he wants to be just like him. I get it.
I want to Stunt just like My Daddy too.
In fact I AM Stuntin’ Like my Daddy. I take GREAT JOY in so many things JUST because HE loved them. If you’ve spent any time with me you’ll know I’m completely, irrationally over-biased about many things. What you may not know, is my dad was too.
Here’s a few (lot) of examples of things I LOVE or do because I know my dad did…
Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles
Long hair don’t care.
Goofy ties.
Talking about why I’m glad to be a Man.
Talking about why women are great too.
Love the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
LOVE LOVE LOVE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS! GO GREEN!
Being the life of the party.
LOVE being a MacLean.
Light to the world.
Love Mazda Miatas.
Being passionate about balance, everything in moderation, And being kind to everyone.
Being laid back.
Oldies music – Space Cowboy Song.
Canadian beer :).
Playing Guitar.
Adventures, especially camping.
LOVE my siblings.
LOVE my mom.
Dream to be a Doctor.
Love Gymnastics.
LOVE SCOTLAND!
Being a best friend.
Being late on MacLean time.
Push-ups before I shower.
Romans 12.
Taking joy in everything, even when it’s supposed to be bad or not funny.
Being a Man of God, and a life model to my peers.
All I remember was the awesome stuff he used to do. He died at a time that allowed me to not remember ANYTHING bad, maybe there wasn’t, he WAS human tho. My mom does sometimes remind me of stuff just to bring me back down to earth. 🙂
I had so much love and respect for him, which was cool because when he died, God had already prepared a sweet base for me to learn about Him as my dad.
It happened, quickly. The day that my dad drowned, my mom told me that God would take care of us, he would be my dad. (Psalm 68:5) I believed her. I copied all the love I had for my earthly dad and pasted it onto my new dad.
God became my superhero too. I wanted to be just like him. Through trust, childlike faith and experience God became my Father. He is completely biased about his way of life too, biased about me, biased about us, only his bias is truth. I only remember awesome stuff about him because HE IS ONLY AWESOME :).
I wanted to Stunt like My Daddy even more.
The way he loves me, I wanna love just like that.
He cares for people so personally, so uniquely, I want to be thoughtful and intentional like that.
He blessed people like me undeservingly and abundantly. I wanna bless people for no deserved reason too.
I wanna give glory to him as much as he does.
I want to dance jut like he dances.
I want to look at the beauty of people like he does.
I want to be wowed by nature like he is.
I want to be wise like him.
He’s a light, I wanna glow like him too.
Much more is left unwritten.
It’s the loves that both my dad and God dad have in common that I really get jacked for. Double dosage : D
JOY JOY AND MORE JOY.
Smiling, laughing and having fun.
Experiencing abundant life.
Taking Adventures.
Loving people.
The best way to describe this strong connection is by fully experiencing something that your father has loved. Something your father has talked about forever. Something you’ve both dreamed about, he’s lived and you’ve desired so much, and is now freely given in abundance.
My greatest experience of this is as a Michigan State Spartan. I grew up with my dad telling story after story about Michigan State. Watching games, hanging with his gymnastics buddies, wearing MSU apparel and yelling GO GREEN! GO WHITE! I was born a spartan, but didn’t fully experience it until I walked onto campus. It was amazing.
“So this is what dad had talked about my whole life. It’s even better than I imagined. I love it, not just because he loved it, not just because I love it, but even more because WE love it.”
I will always be more connected with him because I’ve lived like him. As my dad he never withheld, he always WANTED to have me experience things just like him. It gives him great pleasure.
Same with God. I grew up hearing about his expansive love, about his abundant life and exuberant joy. God did not with hold. Now as I walk everyday in God’s campus I am overwhelmed by him. I’m experiencing all these things my God dad told stories about. More and more I realize how much I want to be just like him.
I’m constantly diving in even deeper, because every time some one meets me they meet my Daddys. It’s been so great, I can’t wait to have kids so they can stunt like their daddy’s too : D.
With all the overwhelming, biased-for-you love,
Jake
“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” – John 14:9-11
