Dear Daddy,
I LOVE YOU!!!
God has said, ¨Honor your father and mother.¨ You have made that easy for me to do.
You have been a pillar of strength, wisdom, and an always-present support in my life. Growing up, I always knew I could come to you with anything, because I always knew that if ever I had a problem with anything, I knew you could always fix it. You have been the most outstanding example of what it means to be a peacemaker in my life. If ever there was conflict, I knew you had the wisdom and insight to know how to handle matters best. I have seen the way you love and care, and how you have provided for me and for the family.
God uses the image of a Father to describe himself to us and to teach us about himself. Many people struggle with that illustration because they have struggled in their relationship with their earthly fathers. But I am blessed to be able to stay that that has not been an issue for me.
because you, daddy, have made it easy to know how to love my father
(you´ve made it easy for me to love you).
Thank you.
I love and appreciate you. I am so thankful for you in my life. You and mom have raised me well. When Scripture says, ¨Train a child up in the way he should go, and he even when he is older he will not depart from it,¨ surely you have done that well. I could not even know how to begin to repay you for all the sacrifice and love you have poured out on me. Surely Jesus was right when He said, ¨Which of you, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you, then you are evil, know how ti give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!¨ You have poured out so much good to me and for me. You have loved me, you have disciplined me well.
Surely there is no way I could repay you for all love and sacrifice you have poured out for me. That must be why Scripture says to honor your father and mother. Dad, I am sorry for all the times I haven´t. It is easy for me to forgive others, but sometimes I am still haunted by the times I have done wrong, by the times I have disrespected and dishonored you, even when all you were doing was loving me. (I am thinking of one thing in specific from when I was younger, probably something that either you have already forgotten or something that I may have already talked to you about, but even still, I am still sorry for that). Know that I always want to honor your, to love you, to respect you.
I am glad that over these past few years, I have been able to spend good time with you, just talking, spending time together–being with my daddy! I love you. And I hope to have more time to get to know you, more time to love you, more time to serve you, more time to learn from you, more time to just be with you.
You and mom have said to me that you have raised me to be able to let me go.
And go I will, daddy! Go I will. I will run straight into my Daddy´s arms, to my Heavenly Father. I will live my life in service for the King! Thank you for your service, and I will see you again soon, when my service is done, and we get to stand together in our Father´s glory.
Amen! Praise you, Jesus! Amen.
For those of you who don´t know,
I just got word that my dad has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
He has a tumor in his lung and 2 in his liver.
It is treatable, but it´s not curable.
Without treatment, he has 6 months.
With treatment, which he is undergoing, he has 1 year to 1 1/2 years.
Please continue to lift him and my mom up in prayer.
Pray for my mom,
That she remain steadfast and strong. That is is not her strength that sustains her, but the joy and peace of God that carries her through. Pray for a community of believers to come up around her to love and support her. Pray that she not grow bitter but that instead she continues to be a woman of the Word, who derives her strength, compassion, joy and love from God. Pray that she be able to be weak when she needs to, but that in her weakness she is made strong.
Pray for my dad,
Of course, pray for healing. I know God has the power and ability to heal. I have full confidence in Him for that. But I also know that that might not be His will at this point right now. So His will be done. But also, just pray for comfort for my dad, that is not be a time of discomfort or pain or suffering, for the chemo is going to be difficult and I´m sure the cancer itself will be hard. Also be praying that my dad continue to make the most of every opportunity he has now. And pray also that in this time he continue to grow more and more closer in knowledge and in intimacy with his Heavenly Father and Maker now before he gets to go and meet Him in person face to face.
