I DO! – Dad – June 20th
I DO
June 20, 2021
Dad
2 Timothy 4:6-8, ‘For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure [from this world] is at hand and I will soon go free. I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]. In the future, there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have love and longed for and welcomed His appearing.’ (AMP)
We haven’t always been this close, my dad and me. It sure is special.
He grew up in a wannabe high society town that is almost lost on a map today. He came from a well-established family with roots which grew deep in the settling of Oklahoma territories. His lineage walked the well-traveled cattle trail known as the Chisholm Trail, and lived to tell about the wild frontier. His dad was a high school history teacher, a much revered teacher by his student’s standards, but reserved and quiet at home. Men weren’t as transparent back then. His mom could have been an angel placed by God on earth; she was just that special. Her belief raised a small empire within her family constructed of principles and steeped in tradition. She built a giant’s belief in her small boy that he could be anything he wanted, go anywhere he applied himself. He had an older brother who was equally as believed in and categorically capable who he would adore from a distance due to the barrier of years. My dad was okay being a loner.
I used to love listening to his stories. I knew he loved taking his dog and gun and spending a day with nature. He and a couple friends made a trip west and visited Colorado when he was just a teenager; his heart would never leave this state again. His childhood sweetheart would become his best friend, and someday, my mom. They would together change many people’s worlds, including mine. My father was loyal and committed to the right thing, brilliant and hard-working. But it would, for so long, be hard for him to let me in.
Even more so, I loved hearing my grandma tell me stories about my dad. I learned that a person can do almost anything in life if their parent believes in them. I found what a mother’s prayers do for a son. My heart ached for the little tag-along boy who stunted his brother’s style; the little boy who patiently waited for relationship with his dad. I stepped back into past generations and became acquainted with another way of life, and I met with those principles and traditions who raised my dad.
And then my dad walked into a relationship with Jesus that would change the rest of my life. Dad, when you said ‘Yes’ to Jesus, you said ‘I Do’ forever to His way of life for you. I didn’t much understand it or have time for it then. It would take me a lot of years to meet you where He has you at. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your simplicity. Thank you for the foundation of respect God instilled in you. Thank you for the passion He purposed in you likely long before you were aware of the pieces to this puzzle He was building in you. Many people know Jesus and are in a closer walk with Him because of how you have led. I am walking closer, Dad, with my Heavenly Father, than ever before because of your example. I get it now. And I get you now. It is an honor to be your daughter, to call you Dad, and to do Life with you now as we are doing. Thank you for letting me in. It is a strong and appreciated privilege. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and this combined ‘I Do’!
What a promise ‘I Do’ is! Whether we are committing to a person or simply being intentional in life, our word should be a cherished commodity. This month, journey with me in ‘I Do’ moments which are an oath, a vow, a pact, a pledge, an honorarium.
