On July 9th in the warm California afternoon sun, my father went home. And by that, I mean he went to heaven, he passed into the arms of his creator, his savior, his maker, his king, his Jesus. He was 85 years old, born in Oklahoma, moved to California as a child, met and married, raised a family and then died there. He is survived by his wife (my mom), 3 daughters, 6 grandchildren (with 3 grandchildren already in heaven) and a host of great-grandchildren.
In the Christian faith we believe that if one is "saved or born again" if they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior if they have confessed their sins and have asked Jesus Christ into their hearts--that when they die, they will go to heaven. Regardless of your beliefs, this is the belief system that my family embraces. And while I do not condemn yours (for that is not my place) I do adhere to mine. I love my God with all my heart. And I now pay tribute to the man who introduced me to my Lord.
When I was just 6 years old, and my father then 30--my family met Jesus for the first time. My father's conversion changed the course of my family forever. Because of his change, our lives were changed. There was a ripple effect--so to speak. He accepted Christ, then my mom, then his children and so on. Some of his siblings and their children soon followed. I believe that because of the drastic and dynamic change that came over my father--others came to believe also. If he could change that much--then God must be real. I guess back in the day, my dad was a real rabble rouser.
My dad was never a big talker. Until it came time to tell a great story from the past, some trouble that either he and his brothers got into and or funny story about his time in the military. Some were a little hard to believe--that's my dad? Boy, had he changed. And that change is what has affected my life the most. I wonder if he ever realized how much influence he had on me and mine? His 30 years of trouble making compared to his 55 years of serving God. I wonder?
As I reflect back on the dad I knew--he was quiet, he was extremely intelligent (a genius really) he was a very deep thinker, and he loved God and he loved my mom. He would have done anything for anyone, was very tender-hearted, and in the end, was more worried about the care of my mother over anyone or anything else.
I sat thinking this morning about what my dad had instilled in me as a child--values, life lessons, etc. when it occurred to me that he left me with the greatest gift of all. The best gift in all the world. He left me with the burning desire for my own children and grandchildren to love and serve God. The absolute most important thing in life to me is that my family love God. I honestly don't care about the other "stuff"--the successes in life, the money, homes, education, what have you. I only care about their relationship with Christ.
I think in saying that, I am paying tribute to my father. He, along with my mom, planted that seed in us as children. I once remember them saying--no matter what we do, even if we walk away from God, never, ever leave Him. Always follow God with all your hearts, souls and minds. Don't look at us, keep your eyes on Jesus. We will fail you, but God never will. And I always have and I always will. And I'm so thankful that they always have too.
Hope is something that Christians have. Hope that one day we will be reunited with those that have passed on into the next phase of "life". Hope that we will all see each other again one day soon. As my father entered into heaven he was greeted by so many loved ones. His parents, some siblings, many other family members and 3 of his own grandchildren. I can only imagine how excited he was to be able to shake off his tired old body and receive his new heavenly body, and to run and hug those that he loved so dearly--what a reunion!
So today, I thank God for healing my dad. For receiving him into heaven, to sit with him for all of eternity. Today, I thank my dad for showing me who God really is and for raising me in a Christian home. Today, I have hope. Today, I celebrate my dad's life. What a legacy!
My prayer is that I am the daughter that you always wanted me to be. I'm trying Dad, and I will see you someday soon. I promise.
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