Up and down the aisles of the craft
store I wandered, looking for the items I needed to make a watering
station for my backyard birds, my mind filled with thoughts of a dear
friend who excelled in the making of crafts of all kinds. Surely this
must be her favorite store, I thought, with the abundance of
materials to work with as well as the the spiritual connection that
was evident in the music playing softly in the background and the
theme of many of the items for sale on the shelves; two passions
satisfied in one shopping trip!
With Father's Day approaching, I
realized that the day would be a difficult one for her, having just
recently lost her dad and with her loss still so fresh. My heart went
out to her, knowing how much she must be missing him. But God didn't
let a melancholy mood settle down on me, reminding me instead that
all of us who have lost our dads and are thinking of them on that
summer Sunday can turn our thoughts from grief to gratitude by
gaining new purpose in our lives from the loss we've been through.
I never had the privilege of meeting my
friend's dad, but I feel like I know him somewhat from what I've seen
in the lives of his family members and heard from their lips as
they've spoken of him. I know that he was a good, honest man with a
passion for God, a zest for living and a joy that spilled out of his
heart and overflowed onto all those around him. I can see him in his
granddaughter, who is so full of love for her family...in the younger
grandson who is actively in pursuit of his dreams, and in the older
one who joins his mom in being simply two of the happiest people I've
ever known. As a group they refuse to blame God for taking this
amazing man away from them but instead thank Him for giving him to
them in the first place, and they celebrate his life by the way they
live their own.
When Jesus' disciples asked Him to show
them the Father, Jesus replied, “...He who has seen Me has seen the
Father...” (John 14:9). He had made His Father visible by the
things He did and said, and now He passes that purpose on to us. Just
as people can catch a glimpse of what our earthly fathers might be
like by watching us, even more can they catch a vision of our
heavenly Father in their associations with us, in listening to
the words we speak and watching the way we live and relate to one
another.
Obviously, one way we can make God
known is to simply talk Him up. The evening I spent answering my
youngest son's questions about my own father brought my dad alive in
my heart once more. I was thankful all over again for the time we had
together, and found not sadness but incredible joy in sharing details
of what he was like and the lessons he had taught me, even in our
difficult moments. In the same way, those who have a passion for God
find that their thanksgiving for who He is to them overflows in
renewed joy that is evident in the testimonies they share. All of us
who know Christ have a story to tell that will help some hungry soul
understand God's heart toward humanity a little better.
Our actions speak louder than words,
however. When people see the characteristics which define God in
action in our lives, they get a visible picture of what He must be
like. Especially on those days when the death of someone dear to us
consumes us, He encourages us to shift our focus from lamenting our
loss to giving thanks for all we have gained in the time we were
together, and then to take that love we still have to give and spend
it lavishly on the lives around us. To the extent that we give love
away, He will refill our hearts with more of the same.
We have a good example to follow. When
Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus, His first action was to look to
Heaven and give thanks. His words and actions that followed brought
life, love and joy to all who were near. Ours will do the same.
We are born to one dad, and born again
to Another. Look around at your spiritual siblings and realize that
you can be your father's son or daughter in more ways than one. You
don't have to wait till June to honor your Dad. When you make it your
mission to make Him known, every day is Father's Day, and celebration
the inevitable end result.
“You have turned for
me my mourning into dancing, You have put off my sackcloth and
clothed me with gladness”.
(Psalm 30:11)
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