2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
I stopped counting at two-hundred.
And that was a week or so ago.
I just read the last twenty or so sympathy cards tonight as I'm writing the Wednesday, March 26 DoP on Tuesday night, March 25.
Thank you all for all the snail-mail cards that you sent to me for my mom, my kids, and me in order to offer your comforting words about my dad's death. You all are much better at card writing than I am. Thank you!
I feel like I'm writing in a spiritual journal tonight. But it also feels like I'm chatting with all of you as I do so. I wish this thing was set up so we all could chat together. (Surely, one of you has told me how, and it didn't register since I'm technologically lagging.)
Anyway, the thing that's interesting about the majority of your cards, as I've read all of them at least twice, is that there's a constant theme of encouragement to remember the good things about my dad. And I keep wondering if there's something that I've done or repeatedly said through the years that has spurred this or if it's advice from your own experience or if it's a combination of my communications and your experience.
Another interesting thing is that I find myself only remembering the good things about my dad. And certainly, all of you know that, since sin entered the world, there has never been a perfect father other than Our Father Who Art in Heaven, Whose Name is Hallowed. I mean, do any of y'all have any thoughts on this? I find myself reeeeeally having to work to remember things that I wish were different with my dad. Maybe it's that I'm almost fifty, and subconsciously I'm hoping that my kids will think well of me when I pass. I don't know.
The other interesting thing is that every time I do work to remember something that I wish was different about my dad, then I experience a kind of zapping from the Holy Spirit. What's been happening is that the moment I remember a "regret" (or whatever you'd call it) I've been zapped instantly to think and see how God worked through it for good. For example, I wonder if I would've pursued the Lord, had a strong day-after-day, work-for-pay ethic, and felt the need to take good care of my stuff if my dad had not leaned on me like he did. I don't know. Who, but God, knows? But what I do know is that God worked wonderfully and lovingly and graciously through my dad to teach me with reproof, correction, and training, just like we hear about God's word teaching us in today's Bible verse. Oh sure, my dad wasn't the perfect teacher, but who is? Well, yes, Jesus is, but none of us sinners compares to the sinless one. After all, aaaaaALL scripture is profitable...but not all that we people say to each other is profitable; that's why we need God's word and are so blessed to have it.
So anyway, on behalf of my mom and kids, thank you all for your cards! And if any of you would be open to "talking" about your dad in reply, then I'd be open to listening to you. It would be a small way for me to say "thank you" to you for listening to me! God bless you all and all our loved ones who are cradled in Christ!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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