Take a moment and read why I called my blog "Twice Adopted Preacher" in my profile.
Today I received the following e-mail from a lady in my church who recently lost her father and it really blessed my socks off. I received permission to share it with you, so enjoy...
I didn’t expect or think about how much I would miss dad while I am at church. Wow I am only having a hard time there! I think one of the reasons is I associate the church with safety and love. So when I am there I can’t hold back, I have to feel what I feel. I have always related to you when you have said you were twice adopted. I have to tell you a story. Of course you know I came by myself until I got married to Rick. I was 26. The day my dad came to church I was so overwhelmed, I had to get up and leave to control myself. All those years of not understanding a lot of what I was being taught. Of feeling alone, and not sure of myself, because I didn’t have an adult here to tell me, it was amazing. It is awful as a child to learn about Christ and what we all must need to do to be saved and KNOWING that my dad was really lost. It is a pain that is hard to carry. Eventually when I learned it was not in MY hands, but Gods and I gave it to him- it was a short amount of time really, between that and my dad coming back. But before that happened, I remember, sitting in the third pew left side on a Sunday night. I was very crushed because my parent’s marriage was falling apart and I had just decided, and I remember the moment, that I could no longer have contact with my dad until he was sober. I didn’t call or ask him to visit or visit him. It was because I knew he had to do it for himself. I wanted him to get sober so bad- but at my age of 34 and him not sober I knew he couldn’t do it for me, I was sittingin the pew and thinking “I don’t have a dad anymore. Will I ever get him back again? Oh my gosh I don’t have a dad”. And then it was unbelievable- I heard a voice in my head say “I will be your father, I will take his place”. I actually sat up really straight and looked around to see if someone was talking to me!!! I then sat there and realized, after hearing it for years and years without really GETTING it- that God is the ULTIMATE father. He doesn’t disappoint. He is always the same. He doesn’t hurt me, embarrass me or do anything except what is best for me. It was at that point that I truly understood God- the Father. And from that day on, I really have had a closer relationship with him, and it’s such a deeper and loving relationship. When hard times come, it’s not SO hard because my Daddy is looking out for me. Abba, Father. I would never be able to have the father that I needed. My dad just wasn’t capable of it. I understood that, and it helps me get through some really tough times when he wasn’t such a nice person to be around. It was OK because I still had my daddy. And I know that I will always have him- even whithmy earthly father now gone, it’s not such a hole in my heart because God has help fill it up with what was missing. Praise him.Thats why I think I am twice adopted too.
Have a great, blessed day!
Jill