Re-Gifting This Father's Day

I was blessed to know the love of a wonderful father. We didn't share the same blood but we shared the same heart. In the animal world males eat the offspring of other males. This man I called “Daddy” (even to this day) couldn't hurt a fly. I remember a howling dog keeping us up for quite a few nights. It happened to be a stray dog. Now my mom was getting fed up. So she told Daddy to take his rifle and shoot the dog. I hated the thought but I followed my dad one evening as he went to take care of the situation. I saw my dad shoot the gun in the air not at the dog. He noticed me watching and motioned me not to tell. He couldn't bring himself to kill that dog.

This softhearted man however, risked his life for the sake of our country. He was a marine during WWII in Iwo Jima. In fact he was asked to raise that flag that became an icon for the marines. Daddy told me that if there had been no one to raise it he would have done so gladly. He said no because he did not want the publicity and let someone else raise it. I teased him all the time about it saying, “I could have said you were one of those guys raising the flag but now I have to say you're the guy standing on the side.” He'd laugh. In fact he was always laughing. He had migraines and still would smile through it. Daddy was a great example of not complaining.

He was also a great example of keeping his word. If he'd say he was going to do something you could bet your life he would. This is how my father taught me-by example. Fathers don't realize how much children are watching. Like me they may be hiding around the corner to see what their dad is doing.

My dad was long suffering with my mom. She was very ill all the time. It was quite difficult to watch her in extreme pain constantly. She was hard to deal with but my dad never once thought of breaking his vows to her. He told me “I made a promise to her in sickness and health, for better or worse that I'd take care of her.” After my mom died Daddy said with tears in his eyes, “I promised to never leave and that I would take care of her all our lives together and I did.” Married almost 60 years through hard times and good times my dad devoted himself to living a life of honor.

Right and wrong have definite boundaries because I saw them in my father's life. Reasoning was added to that to build character in me. While he lived with me his final three years I saw Jesus' parables come alive as Daddy worked his garden. We'd talk about the different seeds and what was required to grow each one. Scripture says to train up a child in the way they should go. If we are all different, going in many directions, we should learn from our Heavenly Father on which way a child should go. Children are the seeds God gives us to plant in His garden. We need much instruction and guidance while developing this precious crop.

Our Father in heaven has given us the great privilege of being called His children. Being blood related usually means we can see a resemblance within a family. The way people look and behave can be inherited through blood. So when we ask Jesus to save us, His Father adopts us into His family and we are covered with the blood of Jesus. You know babies are covered in blood when they are born too. Therefore when Jesus' blood covers us we are transformed from just adopted to blood relatives of the Most High God. When babies are born everyone starts looking for resemblances. He has his father's eyes or she has her mother's mouth. Shouldn't it be that we who have been born to God ought to resemble Him also? As we celebrate Father's day let us try to see how much we resemble our heavenly Father. Do we have our Father's eyes, His mouth, His heart, and His love?

This is the first year I will not have my earthly father with me and it hurts tremendously. But I am greatly comforted by knowing that my two fathers are together and that I saw my heavenly Father in my earthly father.

My gift to both of them this year will be a regifting of a gift I received a very long time ago. It was the love of the Greatest Father passed on by my Daddy. With great appreciation I am regifting that love to all I meet knowing my Father and Daddy will be honored that I did. If you've been blessed with that gift of love from our Father pass it on this year. Happy Father's Day to all those men who have been a blood father, adopted father, or just acted like a father.

Juda Myers Freedom Ministries
Conceived in rape. LIVING WITH PURPOSE!

www.juda4praise.com

Juda is available for speaking and singing with an encouraging life changing message.
Phone: 281.451.8460