Happy Father's Day, to my Rock

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Psalm 103:13

I know, i'm a day late, but I want to honor my dad with this post.

My dad is a rock in every sense of the word. He's rock solid, for one. The man will have his 50th birthday in a month, and to celebrate he is doing a solo 100 mile bicycle ride. i made him this shirt to wear while he prepares for the big ride: He's also stubborn. Apparently, that part is genetic because my husband says i can be a little hard-headed too :) But more importantly, he is my anchor, my stronghold, my marker, and my immovable source of stability and strength; rock-like in every way.

But at heart...
he is a
BIG
GIANT
softy.

My dad LIVES love. He actively pursues compassion.
And he does it because His own heart was softened by a love even GREATER than this.

My dad, in his "rock" nature, is not easy to convince of things. He is a very fluid and a very deep thinker, but to believe in something, truly BELIEVE it, it takes a lot for my dad. He relies very little on "feelings" and puts a lot of weight on cold, hard evidence.

So when it came to the idea of Jesus...He wasn't going to give in easily.

For my dad, it came down to reality.
The reality beyond the world he'd been living in. He was living for himself, no real direction or motivation but to feel good and stay happy.

...And that was beginning to feel empty.

And then there was this Jesus. He came promising new life and freedom. Feelings that had been lost for my Father in a haze of depression an anxiety.

Could it be real?

Could there be new, everlasting life? Could there be freedom from addictions and guilt and painful memories?

Could there be a loving Father who created my father with a purpose and a plan?

So he began to read the bible- and scripture came alive to him, reality showed it's honest face.

Romans 3:21-28

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law (that means NOT by doing good things or trying to earn the righteousness), has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (read the old Testament- the prophets pointed to Jesus from the very beginning- it's a beautiful picture of God's faithfulness!).This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (doesn't matter how bad you think you are or how impossible your situation may seem), and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement (that means he paid for your sins so YOU don't have to), through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (Meaning no one can claim a higher righteousness than any one else, because under our own power- we are all sinful, but under Christ we can all be made perfectly righteous.)

My dad saw that he was sinful. He had felt the pressure of the world telling him He wasn't good enough, he had felt the defeat of the world over him--
And then it all just clicked.
A perfectly just, rock-like God requires payment for sin. But a perfectly loving God sacrifices Himself for the sake of His children so that they can be set free from the bonds of sin and live with Him eternally.
And my Dad ran into His Father's arms for the first time.
And the grace that had been poured out on him, overflowed to us, his wife and children.
And WE came to know Jesus.
My father led me to my true Father in heaven. He guided me to the source of a deeper PEACE, a greater JOY, and a more profound FREEDOM than I have ever known.
Thank you, Dad, for living a life that honors God and that will leave a legacy more powerful than you could ever imagine.

I love you.