Welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.
Proverbs 14:27 (CSB)
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My father died this past weekend. It had been a very long battle with illness and surgeries and accidents. Watching my father suffer for the past 6+ months has been devastating and frustrating and ugly for not just me, but for my brothers and for all of my dad’s grandchildren.
My earthly father has never been a believer. He was a good Catholic — he served as an altar boy when he was young, he went to seminary as a young man, and he took my brothers and me to church every Sunday. But he never felt the need to foster a relationship with Jesus. He often ridiculed me for my faith. I took it in stride, as I did all his unique foibles, but it always made me nervous for him.
I wish I could say I was a good daughter who prayed for my dad every single day. To be honest, my dad was hard, so I did all I could to put some separation between us. I called, I texted, I emailed. I visited him when I could (he lived 12 hours from me, so it wasn’t easy to visit…and that’s why he moved that far away). But I didn’t make as much effort as maybe a good daughter should.
When he first started getting really sick, all his scary features came out in FULL force. It brought back a lot of bad memories. I really struggled, but my brothers (they could control dad better) helped me to see that it was time to make things right. So, I began with prayer. I prayed for my dad A LOT. At first, it was the “please heal my dad” prayers. But then those prayers morphed into “Yahweh, fill my dad with peace” prayers. Then, when it was clear he wasn’t going to get better or be healed, I started really praying hard for his soul. I prayed that God would soften his heart, forgive his sins, and take him home. I even got my mom, my dad’s ex-wife of 30 years, to pray this final prayer every single day for the past few weeks. And through all those prayers I visited him as often as I could. I do know where we stood. My dad loved me as best as he could, and that is OK.
As Proverbs 14:27 discusses, I do have fear of the Lord. I long for a solid relationship with Jesus Christ more than anything. I know that Jesus defeated Death when He died on the cross and then rose from the dead. Because of this, I know what will happen to me when I die. I fear God; I will not be trapped in Death’s snare. I will live!
I don’t know if I will see my dad in Heaven. I hope so, and I have a strong sense that my mom’s and my prayers were totally heard by God. But I don’t know. What I do know is this: God loves you. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you with Him in Heaven. He wants you to escape the snares of Death, but to do that you have to fear the Lord. You have to deeply respect and honor Jesus every single day. If you already do, great! You’re blessing your loved ones with hope that experiences with you will not end with your earthly demise. But if you don’t, I implore you to get right with God today. It really hurts being a kid who wonders if they will ever see her parent again.
The Christian Fiction Girl 
Oh Nicole, I am so sorry! It is difficult and I can relate. Praying for peace for your family.
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Thank you, Cindy. I appreciate your prayers.
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A difficult relationship that you handled with grace. Your verse is perfect! I had a difficult relationship with my mom. Like you, I don’t know if she will be in Heaven or not, but I do have the hope that at one time she was introduced to Him.
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Thank you, Vickie, for sharing. Difficult relationships make me sad, but I do have hope. 😀
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