Father's Day: A Small Tribute to DAD

It's the day before Father's Day and I have kept my eye on this weekend on the calendar for the last year.  It was the night after Father's Day last year that we got that unexpected phone call that turned my world upside down in an instant, though it took much longer than an instant for the news to sink in.  We are a few days away from the one year mark which ironically is right around Father's Day.  So today I sit for a few minutes to put into words a few of the millions of thoughts that have been swarming in my head the last week.
Let me start with thank you God for Your faithfulness!  You have been with us every step of this journey, You have strengthened our family through this journey and You have been the brightness illuminating the very dark corners of grief.  In the times I've been at my lowest, You have pulled me up and refreshed my soul.  My God has been many things to me this year, most certainly my Father.
Last year on Father's Day we were camping with our home group and soaking up God's beautiful creation.  We had just spent a week with my parents on that beautiful California trip a week before Father's Day and it seemed enough to just send Dad a text while we were camping that day:

These were the last words we exchanged.  God gave me a great man for an earthly father.  I'm still learning from the life he led.  Though I have argued with God that it was not near enough time with Dad, I know God is painting a bigger picture.   And this weekend, I choose to remember the 38 years I spent with him and thank God for each moment.

Thankful for a love that started it all...

Thankful for teachings and comfort, his hugs were the best....

Thankful for guidance and encouragement and the way he lead this family...

And so very thankful for the legacy he left our family, the heritage in Christ, and hope for heaven....

One of Dad's greatest desires was this:

            "If I could tell my children one thing about God and the Christian life, I know what it would be.  The whole of life in Christ must surely be, 'to find mercy on that day'.  Whatever we may have or accomplished in life prior to that moment, when our life will be laid before the eternal righteous judge, finding mercy on that day will be the most important."

Dad wrote this in 1994 in a book titled, "From My Heart to Yours".  I found this several months ago and felt goosebumps as I read it.  What joy it is to know this message has been impressed on the hearts of his children and now his grandchildren!  We all have an eternal perspective that was shaped by our Dad and his love for his children.  

God has blessed me in ways I still don't know, but this year I've been more keenly aware to not miss out on His blessings.  I will keep my eyes open and on the lookout for more of God's goodness around me.  Happy Father's Day to all of you Dad's!  You have been given the opportunity to lead your children to the merciful hand of our Father, seize it!