Debbie’s dad was smart, and that bothered me. I didn’t mind his intelligence so much as the idea he might be smarter than my dad. Neither man could be considered dull, since both were professors at the liberal arts college, keeping watch on the hill behind our suburban town.

Debbie was my best friend; but somehow I needed my dad to be smarter than hers. We were almost exactly the same age, and we looked so much alike that people often mistook us for sisters. That was fine with me. I loved Debbie. But I couldn’t stand the idea that others might think her dad was smarter than mine.

The Contest. The opportunity to prove my theory came at the annual spring elementary school carnival. That Friday night, various games of luck and/or concentration had been set up in the gymnasium. On one table sat a jar full of marbles. Whoever guessed closest to the correct number of marbles in the jar without touching it would receive a new Polaroid instant camera. Flocks of students and their parents gravitated to this table because of the camera. It was the hot, new electronic gadget of the year.
I believed if Dad won the camera, everyone would know he was the smartest dad in the whole school. The thought kept me tiptoeing around the room in anticipation of his turn to guess. At last, we stood in front of the table. Dad studied the jar. He crossed his arms. He shoved his glasses up onto the top of his head and squinted at the jar. He squatted to get on eye-level with the jar. When I thought my insides would bubble over at any second, Dad reached for a slip of paper to scratch out his answer with a stubby pencil he pulled from his shirt pocket.

“There,” he said as he stuffed the pencil back into his pocket. “That should do it. If I win the camera, I’ll give it to you, Kathy.”

The flutter in my stomach turned into a thump. Wow, my very own camera! And a Polaroid, too. “Do you think you’ll win?” I asked.

Dad took my hand, guiding me to another booth. “I don’t know, but I think I have a good chance,” he answered with a wink.

The Winner. We had to wait all the way to Monday for the winner to be announced. The child whose parent won would be called to the office to claim their prize and take it home. The conversation at recess and in the lunchroom was all about who might have won the camera. Some kids blew it off as unimportant, and some said it might be Debbie or even me.

As the tension built that day, arithmetic, which was always a challenge for me, became impossible. All the numbers blobbed up in my brain, and then they fell out in a jumble. But deep inside, I knew my dad never struggled with globbed-up numbers.

At last, the afternoon announcement came over the intercom. “And the winner of the marbles guessing game...”

My heart beat double-time.

“Bob McKinney.”

I almost fainted from the thrill. My dad had won! All the students in my room cheered. The teacher gave permission for me to leave, and I almost forgot to walk in the hall on my way to the office.

The Prize. I clutched the precious box all the way home on the bus, terrified I would drop it or lose it. This was more than the most coveted prize at the school carnival. It was proof that my dad really was the smartest dad.

Now that I’m a grown-up, I realize that while Dad was smart, what was more important was that he loved me. But the one who loves me most and created an earthly father for me was my heavenly Father. He's so smart that He...

• made the entire universe and everything in it;
• wrote a book, with no mistakes, that took over a thousand years to write;
• knows everything you or I think;
• came up with a plan to pay for my sin and yours;
• sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross; and
• raised His Son from the dead.

My heavenly Father did all this because He made us and loves us and wants us to share forever with him. I really do have the smartest Dad.

© 2009 Kathryn Graves All Rights Reserved.

Kathryn M. Graves, author,  Bible teacher, and CLASS graduate, holds a BA in Psychology. Her publishing credits include her Bible study, Beautiful Feet: A Day Spa for Your Soul, CBN.com, Focus on the Family, Hugs Bible Reflections for Women, and Comfort-Cafe.net. She's a pastor's wife and grandmother who loves flower gardening and painting with pastels. Contact Kathryn at Kathryn@KathrynGraves.com or visit her blog.

Thanks for sharing your memory with us, Kathy!

Can you think of a great memory with your dad? Be sure to leave your comment below.

Photo/TaraRoss
Photo/KathrynGraves