"After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel"
For several weeks now my dad has been in the ICU at a downtown hospital. What started as a cold grew to pneumonia then an infection then began to spread to his vital organs and even shut down his kidneys.
We thought we were going to loose him.
Just a few days ago my dad began to improve. While he still has a LONG way to go he is out of the ICU and there are good sign of a full recovery to come.
When he first woke up his voice was very raspy and hard to understand but in his half awake state he only needed to be awake for a few minutes before he began requesting a Dr. pepper, milk duds and something called a blimpy burger!
It wasn't long before he asked how long he had been asleep and it was emotional for him and the rest of us when he found out he had been unconscious for two weeks. Then he began to get some of his memory back, slowly. As thoughts returned he started telling us how he was so scared when they put him on the ventilator. He said he was scared because he thought he might die.
My dad is not usually one for a lot of emotion or details of what's going on in his head but for the next few minutes he poured them out to us.
This last Saturday night, almost 24 hours after that hospital room conversation I kept replaying one particular thing over and over again in my head. My dad told us how he was angry at himself that he was scared to die, when my mom tried to console him with "but you didn't, you're here now", he explained more.
He said in that moment he had to ask himself, "ok, do I REALLY trust Jesus and trust that I matter to him no matter what happens", he went on to say that he finally answered the question "yes, yes I trust the Lord Jesus Christ with my life". It was at that point that he said he relaxed and that was the last thing he remembered until waking up the other night.
I've always known that my dad loved the Lord but until the other night I never understood that it is BECAUSE he so deeply loves the that I do too.
Depending on your relationship with your parents growing up, it may be difficult to figure out what to put in the, "I am who I am because my parents______________" blank.
After the other night I know what to put there now. I am who I am because my dad has always so deeply and authentically loved the Lord Jesus Christ!
The only reason I am not as ignorant to the love & existence of God as the generation of children in Judges, a generation that needed the judges to come and painfully remind them, is because of my dad & the ways his love for Jesus was modeled to me & passed on to me.
If we fail to love Jesus in front of our children then we fail as parents. No matter what things you will do wrong as a parent, if you teach your kids to love Jesus by how you love Him, so will they. If you give them EVERYTHING else but not this, you've given them NOTHING.
Thanks for all your prayers & concern. Please keep praying, he has a long way to go still.
For several weeks now my dad has been in the ICU at a downtown hospital. What started as a cold grew to pneumonia then an infection then began to spread to his vital organs and even shut down his kidneys.
We thought we were going to loose him.
Just a few days ago my dad began to improve. While he still has a LONG way to go he is out of the ICU and there are good sign of a full recovery to come.
The last three weeks have been such a whirlwind of activity and commotion that I don't think the emotion of it all caught up to me until this past Saturday night.
When he first woke up his voice was very raspy and hard to understand but in his half awake state he only needed to be awake for a few minutes before he began requesting a Dr. pepper, milk duds and something called a blimpy burger!
It wasn't long before he asked how long he had been asleep and it was emotional for him and the rest of us when he found out he had been unconscious for two weeks. Then he began to get some of his memory back, slowly. As thoughts returned he started telling us how he was so scared when they put him on the ventilator. He said he was scared because he thought he might die.
My dad is not usually one for a lot of emotion or details of what's going on in his head but for the next few minutes he poured them out to us.
This last Saturday night, almost 24 hours after that hospital room conversation I kept replaying one particular thing over and over again in my head. My dad told us how he was angry at himself that he was scared to die, when my mom tried to console him with "but you didn't, you're here now", he explained more.
He said in that moment he had to ask himself, "ok, do I REALLY trust Jesus and trust that I matter to him no matter what happens", he went on to say that he finally answered the question "yes, yes I trust the Lord Jesus Christ with my life". It was at that point that he said he relaxed and that was the last thing he remembered until waking up the other night.
I've always known that my dad loved the Lord but until the other night I never understood that it is BECAUSE he so deeply loves the that I do too.
Depending on your relationship with your parents growing up, it may be difficult to figure out what to put in the, "I am who I am because my parents______________" blank.
After the other night I know what to put there now. I am who I am because my dad has always so deeply and authentically loved the Lord Jesus Christ!
The only reason I am not as ignorant to the love & existence of God as the generation of children in Judges, a generation that needed the judges to come and painfully remind them, is because of my dad & the ways his love for Jesus was modeled to me & passed on to me.
If we fail to love Jesus in front of our children then we fail as parents. No matter what things you will do wrong as a parent, if you teach your kids to love Jesus by how you love Him, so will they. If you give them EVERYTHING else but not this, you've given them NOTHING.
Thanks for all your prayers & concern. Please keep praying, he has a long way to go still.
And, thank you dad for loving Jesus, I do because you did.
