If you ever asked me what memories I have of my dad this would be what I would have pictured in my head.When I found this picture of this little girl in a military magazine, many years ago, I took it and have kept it in my art reference folder, and have redrawn her multiple times. She is what held fast in my mind as memories of my dad....waiting. You see, my dad served our US Navy and his being gone was part of my childhood. Watching military homecomings now will just make me weep!
Over the last several years I have struggled with this being the memory of my dad and the effects that it has had on my perception of my Heavenly Father. I knew the feeling of knowing who I belonged to and that I was loved....but where was he/He. It's funny how our minds get stuck in the darker hours of our lives that we forget about the provision and the love that is shown more often than not. (Need biblical understanding see story of the Israelites in Exodus)
Today I was asking God to show me a good memory of something regarding my dad. As I watched our pastors wife prophesying over several people I saw this man walking back to his seat, after being up front for prayer. There waiting was his daughter. She wrapped her arms around his waist and as he pulled her close, this memory rushed to the fore front of my mind...
It was the picture of me sitting next to my dad, in church, with his dress jacket draped over me, keeping me warm.
God began speaking to me about these things and what each one represented:
The "sweet spot" was always under the arm of my dad. It brought comfort, warmth, and security. Just like being under the wings of God (Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. NIV)
The covering of the coat was to show favor. I was 1 of 3 daughters and my dad showed each one of us a great deal of love, knowing each of his daughters needed a different language of love spoken to her.
There was the smell of his cologne that was so familiar and comforting to me. It represented the sweet aroma of the Holy Spirit that intoxicates, awakens, and anoints the spirit within me, now.
Lastly and most importantly there was the investment of time of bringing our family to the House of God every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Not any one church we attended was ever perfect, but it was the seeds that were sown with each attendance that found its way into my heart. It will be these seeds that will produce the fruit for the next generation.
My earthly father is a great man of integrity, honesty, hard working, and is a compassionate man of God with a silent strength that lies within him. He may not be the man that would stand out in a crowd, but it's been in those times that I have learned how God sees and rewards those who are diligent in seeking after Him. That is the GREATEST gift any father can give their child! Thank you dad for all that you've done and the example that you are now to me and our "next generation"!
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