Yesterday was Father’s Day, and of course, my mind was filled with thoughts of my father who went to be with the Lord two years ago. I still miss my phone calls with him every Sunday and his laughter as we recalled some of my childhood mistakes. No matter what I did, though, daddy never stopped loving me and accepting me. He made a lot of mistakes himself, but in the end, he owned up to his need for a Savior. That was so important to me because I really wanted him to end up in Heaven, after a lifetime of making wrong choices. His sister, my Aunt Loree, implored me on her death bed to never lose contact with daddy, regardless of what he was doing wrong. So, I kept in touch and acted as an intermediary to get my siblings to stay in contact with him. Drugs had almost destroyed him, but in the end, he gave his soul to the Lord, and I am thankful that my little brother was with him when he died and that they had reconciled. I say all of this so that everyone will know that bad things happen. Things change. The person you may almost idolize, as I did my father, may make choices that are sinful, awful in fact. As someone once said, “How are the mighty fallen!” My father fell far, from a successful businessman in a small community to a drug addict and dealer in a large city in Florida, implicated in the death of my mother. Yes, he fell far and had many sins to ask forgiveness for. But don’t we all? I didn’t stop believing that the same hope that God gave me for eternal life was possible for my father, the one at whose knee I felt loved and cherished.

There were several years, after my family had fled to Florida, that I didn’t know where they were. And once I got in touch with them again, the changes in my father were readily apparent. He was so addicted to drugs that every decision he made was based on getting that need met and lying became his normal. But I believed in the living hope of Christ and continued to pray and to keep in contact with him, just as my Godly and loving aunt had requested. God’s mercy was indeed abundant for my father; He acknowledged his sins and his need for a Savior. So I believe that He is with our Father in Heaven now, all because God gave him a new birth. Jesus Christ was resurrected, so I have the living hope that my father was resurrected and that one day, I will meet the King of Heaven when I am resurrected. I am serving God today as a born again Christian. My father didn’t make that choice until he was lying on his death bed. Nevertheless, I believe that God doesn’t care when you repent, as long as you do so with your whole heart. Life is hard, but we all have a living hope if we just grab hold of it. Jesus Christ died and was resurrected and therein lies our hope for eternal life. I pray that you have realized how much you need the Lord in your life and will turn to Him with your whole heart. Blessings for a day filled with His living hope!