Father's Day

Isaiah 43:2“When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.” (NLT)

Fathers are on my mind today. It's Father's Day, so my husband and son, who is here visiting for the first time in over 2 years, spent the day four wheeling and bonding over dust, sweat, and the great outdoors. At 24, my son is the living image of his father right down to the goatee. Where once my husband instructed our son in how things should be accomplished, now my son shares his own knowledge and saves his father time and effort or gives technological support when needed. To see them hanging out together, playing volleyball, bocce ball, Rook, Farkle, or simply lying around watching golf from their floats in the pool, fills my heart with such tremendous love that I can barely contain it. I love these men. I prayed for these men in my youth. When I was only 18, I saw a man and his little boy playing on the beach and I told my boyfriend (now my husband) that's what I wanted him to be like with our son one day. I wanted them to be two-of-a-kind. God evidently heard me. They're knowledgeable, stubborn, funny, good, loving men, and I'm so thankful they're mine.

Of course, on this Father's Day, my father has been on my mind. We talked for a bit this afternoon via the telephone since we live in two different states. Over the past few years, he's faced one health trial after another and there just doesn't seem to be an end in sight. The last time an "event" happened, I felt deeply compelled to make the fourteen hour trip home to see him. I'd just gotten a new Jeep and had free Sirius radio, so I listened to The Message and made the entire journey one big prayer/praise and worship experience. I wanted to speak to my dad about his faith and ask him if he felt prepared to go home when his time came. The opportunity never presented itself throughout the day, but as I was preparing to leave he called me to him and told me straight on, "I'm not afraid to die. God and I talk all the time." That's what I'd been concerned about - not that he wasn't a Christian, but that he was fearful. Relief spread through me and rolled that worry right off of my heart. As though I could have helped by worrying. Ha! He made it through that event and is in the midst of another, but still he's trying to set my mind at ease by pointing out that we don't know when it's our time to go - could be now, could be years from now, and that God's word is relevant even today. That's my dad. He's thinking about the kids, the grand kids, and even a great grand, trying to keep us from getting caught up in a dither.

I think it's fitting that I read about Job in The Chronological Bible this morning. Job. He had everything. He was faithful. He was kind and giving. He had rock solid faith. Then calamity struck in the form of Satan's attacks. Throughout his trials (including the loss of all of his children and his health) he cried out for death and wrestled with is faith. He lamented that he couldn't take his case to court because no one could stand against God. He proclaimed his innocence, fussed, and complained mightily. In the end, he couldn't change a thing on his own. All of the blaming got him nowhere. All of the begging didn't bring him the death he craved. Only his obedience to God and his acceptance that he had no right to judge God and no understanding of God's wisdom brought him relief, renewed health, and double blessings. It's not our place to understand the plans of God. It's our job to believe that God is with us and will deliver us in His perfect time.

So I have a goal: through all of the trials that come my way, I'm going to give thanks and remember that I am never alone. I'm going to trust that God will deliver me, and I'm going to pray, pray, pray!

Just to be sure I remember this goal, I'm going to start today by giving thanks to the great fathers in my life: My dad, my father-in-law, and my husband. Thank you, God, for wise and faithful men.