We live at a point in history when it’s a struggle to find an example to follow. Many know the hurt and disappointment of leaders who have fallen, or failed us, or whose image has been tainted when the crucibles of life have brought out dross and impurities. In many hearts, a disturbing question is being raised: Outside fairy tales and comic books, are there even any heroes any more? As a world mourns the passing of one of the giants to have strode upon the stage of faith, we are reminded that in Dr Billy Graham we have had much more than a comic book super; we have had a pristine example, a model statesman, and a true hero of the faith.

One of the reasons Billy was so loved is because he was so down to earth. In every tribute I have listened to or read about his legacy, the most consistent message is that he was a humble man. He never thought highly of himself, even though he was a personal spiritual advisor to every U.S. President for half a century. He never gloried in his accomplishments, though he preached to an estimated 215 million people over his lifetime.

One young man never had to climb a beanstalk to hear the Fee Fi Fo Fum of this giant of a man. Growing up in Dr Graham’s long shadow was the fourth of his children, and oldest son, Franklin Jr. Lesser men may have shrunk and hidden behind such a shadow, for the man who cast it was walking with world leaders when a little boy would have longed for his dad to take even a short stroll with him. Lesser fathers would have become intoxicated by the publicity or enamored by the fame, and in this spotlight lost sight of his lonely son who went to bed night after night after night not having heard his father’s voice for yet another day. Despite the ominous weight of such a calling, Billy did not forget. Despite having to share his dad with stadium-filled crowds night after night, Franklin never forgot. He reflected upon his father’s life and death, recalling times when his father would return from long stints away from the family:

“His homecomings were always a big deal…My three sisters, brother and I would tackle him, but he always managed to scoop us up into his loving arms, letting us know how much he had missed us. Then, he would turn his attention and affection to the woman he loved — and who shared her life with him for 64 years.”1

Franklin writes, “The man the world knew as Billy Graham was always ‘Daddy’ to me.” Of all Dr Graham’s stellar accomplishments, this is perhaps the most striking. Billy was, first and foremost, a family man. He always managed to scoop up his children in his loving arms.

When asked about the secret of his sustained and prolonged success, Billy spoke of one thing: beginning every day reading the Bible, and talking to God his Father in prayer. It was in the maintenance and pursuit of intimacy with his own Father, that Billy understood that he was a beloved son. It was in being a beloved son to his Heavenly Father, that he came to understand the power and impact of being a loving earthly father. So through the decades, criss-crossing the nations, he called lost sons and daughters back to relationship with their own Father. All the while, as this little boy grew to become a man in those hills of North Carolina, Billy had become an example and hero to Franklin.

The day came when Dr Graham turned the reigns of his ministry over to his son. Franklin too has preached to crowds on every continent. And he has grown the humanitarian arm of his father’s work—Samaritan’s Purse— to become one of the largest aid agencies in the world. Together they became one of the most formidable father/son teams to have walked the sod of men. This living legacy is the most fitting tribute to this humble preacher, who faithfully and fully served the God Father he loved so much.

1 https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/02/21/billy-grahams-new-home-franklin-graham/360065002/