Our Father-A Tribute to Dad

As I sit on an airplane headed to Chicago I can not put aside the thought of how important our fathers are. I know you probably are too now thinking of your dad and what fond memories you have of him. Being a father myself, I cannot describe the joy it is being a dad. You see dads are much different than moms. They are the ones with drive, strength, or as mine put it tenacity.

Hmmm....tenacity, what a great word for dad. It is that lead by example, I refuse to give up and I will keep working toward the goal all rolled up in one word to describe a father. In contrast mom has the nurturing heart. Unfortunately most assume that dads don't nurture or in fact don't even care. It wasn't until I went through my divorce that I realized fathers most certainly care, but in a far different way.

Let me tell you what I mean. Throughout my separation and divorce my heart was shattered by the events that I went through. My two greatest desires and goals in life were not anything to do with money but everything to do with relationships; being a good husband and a loving father. Men let events define how they are rather than mould who they can be. When I went through the separation and divorce it robbed me of the two most important things that defined who I was and left me feeling like I had absolutely nothing left in life.

During the long debilitating process one man stood by my side, sometimes kicking and screaming as I dragged him in. Some days he acted with godly wisdom while others just humanistic contempt. A little more about him? Well he too is a father of seven children, the first six were boys than a daughter. He worked hard taking care of his family and making sacrifices that sometimes he shouldn't have had to make. He was the youngest of nine and had to fight for who he would become. He was both smart and driven and yes like me full of tenacity.

Most look at him maybe as too driven, hard and maybe one who has a hard time with people. Some of it may be true, but unless you got to know him you would not know the truth of who he is.

As I have gone through this 30 plus month journey I realize I couldn't have done it without him. He has bailed me out financially. It was he that when I said I wanted to give up he told me to keep holding on to God's promises. It was he who has heard about my repeated court cases giving me advise along the way. And yes it was he who has been watching me as I trust God throughout the process only to say, "Son I am proud of you."

Yes if you have not realized who I am talking about it is my dad. All I can say is dad, thank you and know I love you!

Our fathers are but a small reflection of who our Heavenly Father is. God is our strength, provider, support and there all the time and then some.  So if your going through a hard time and your waining and want to give up know this, God is always there. He has said that He will never leave you. He will bring you to the other side of your Jordan. Thank you God for being my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble times.

CAL

I Know That He Loves Me

Love can can be termed in so many ways. Maybe you have an Agape Love for a person (a deep care). Maybe you have a passionate love for a spouse or loved one. The world even has it's definitions of love which are far from what God has meant for your life as it is superficial or self gratifying. Take a look at our children and see what they are exposed to. Time and again God's word shows us His love for us. He says He loved us while we were still sinners. Wow, still in the process of sin and making bad decisions. Can you love someone enough through a process knowing they are sinning? Maybe they have lied to you, broke your trust or cheated on you. I'm not saying love them by ignoring their sin. In contrast I'm saying loving someone enough to make the hard decisions by putting them into God's hands so they can be won back to Him. Over the past four years I have seen God's love in such ways that it has humbled me. Here I am a man raised with the mentality work hard, be strong, be independent and God will bless you for your diligence. Going through divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, health issues, custody battles, unemployment twice, family deaths and so much more you find that your perspective and dependency changes. Loosing everything (and I mean everything) there are only two options. You either give up or you press in to God. The prophet Jeremiah puts it correct. Here is, as he puts it, a young man who had no self worth in an area where his people were held captive, lost everything and all hope was lost. He says that I can't do it, but God said "I knew you before you were born" (Jeremiah 1). He said to God that all hope was lost as he sat in prison, but God responded "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not for harm" (Jeremiah 29). As a result Jeremiah caught the vision and became the encourager stirring up the people who needed hope. Look at what he said as he becomes the flag bearer blazing a trail. Jeremiah 33:3 "Call on me and I will show you great and mighty things which you don't know yet." Jeremiah had to go through a lot to get to that point. He went from being the one who doubted to the one who caught the vision. He was also the one who went through adversity yet never wavered. So as a sit on a plane back to Chicago for round whatever, I started listening to my music and came across a song that I haven't listened to in a while, "I Know That You Love Me" by Martha Munizzi. In her song she says "You never leave me, You forsake me and I will never be alone...So I hold onto nothing. I know that you have me in unending mercy cause that's what You promise me, great is Your faithfulness." As I sit on the plane I can't help but reflect on God's goodness, and understand He loves me. Here is an example of His love. I have friends who have helped me get to court by giving me airline tickets, helping out with rentals and giving me a place to stay. The most recent was when a group of friends came together to collect money just so I could buy something for my son's birthday. Understand the hospitality requires that of humility. The things that happened are things that blew my mind and shook my very core as felt independence is my calling and as a result missing out on what God could do if I took on His vision in the situation and understood that He truly loves me. CAL