I have read that some people get their understanding about God from their father—if one’s father is distant, then they see God as being distant. Since my parents separated when I was 7 years old and I hardly saw my father before then, I did not really have a father so I did not really have an impression of God. If anything, it was that God was not there.
One day I met a guy; we fell in love and wanted to get married. Since I did not really have a family we decided to get married at the courthouse, but his parents insisted that we get married at their church. So I flew from California to Florida to get married. I remember meeting my future mother-in-law—she came out to greet us. I also remember meeting my future father-in-law too. He had a big smile on his face and he gave me a big bear hug. My new impression of God started on that day.
I remember the whole week before my wedding, it rained every day. Saturday morning the sun came out and my future father-in-law said, “Teresa, the sun came out just for your wedding.” He was so happy. As we were all getting ready to go to the church, my future father-in-law offered to give me away since no one from my family was there. It was such a sweet gesture, but I told him that I would be fine. After the wedding my mother-in-law said that I could call them by their first names or I could call them “Mom” and “Dad.” I told her I wanted to call them “Mom” and “Dad.” So on that day I was adopted into the family and had a new set of parents, but most of all I had a father.
I enjoyed hearing my father-in-law’s stories. He loved telling them and I loved listening to them. He seemed to go out of his way to include me and I always felt like I was part of the family. I remember getting cooking lessons from him—he showed me how to make sauce and how to roast red peppers. I tried to show him how to make Lumpia, but he was only interested in eating them. =)
I think he knew that I needed a father and he treated me as a daughter. I remember so many things about my father-in-law. I remember when we watched him preach—there were only a handful of people in the congregation, but it didn’t matter to him—he preached as if he was speaking to a thousand people. I remember when he prayed over my husband as he was getting ordained. I cried because it was a special honor for us. I remember how he held each of my children, and how he loved them.
I remember when he said good-bye to me last year. He gave me the ultimate blessing when he said that I was a good wife and a good mother. He said that he was proud of us. It meant a lot to hear those words. I will miss him. I will miss his encouragement. I wish I could turn back time and spend more time with him—listening to his stories and enjoying meals with him, but I will have to wait until I see him again in glory. Today I am not only mourning the death of my father-in-law, but I am also mourning the death of my adopted father. I love you, Dad! Because of you, I see God as a loving God—a God who reached out to me—me, a worthless sinner— and allowed me to be called a child of God (John 1:12). Because of your acceptance of me, I see God as accepting of me—He grafted me into His family (Romans 11:17). Because of your testimony and example, I am prepared to accept whatever God lays before me; and I hope I will be as faithful as you. Thank you for helping me to see God as He truly is!
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My father-in-law
Posted: June 2, 2011 in Christianity, CommentaryI have read that some people get their understanding about God from their father—if one’s father is distant, then they see God as being distant. Since my parents separated when I was 7 years old and I hardly saw my father before then, I did not really have a father so I did not really have an impression of God. If anything, it was that God was not there.
One day I met a guy; we fell in love and wanted to get married. Since I did not really have a family we decided to get married at the courthouse, but his parents insisted that we get married at their church. So I flew from California to Florida to get married. I remember meeting my future mother-in-law—she came out to greet us. I also remember meeting my future father-in-law too. He had a big smile on his face and he gave me a big bear hug. My new impression of God started on that day.
I remember the whole week before my wedding, it rained every day. Saturday morning the sun came out and my future father-in-law said, “Teresa, the sun came out just for your wedding.” He was so happy. As we were all getting ready to go to the church, my future father-in-law offered to give me away since no one from my family was there. It was such a sweet gesture, but I told him that I would be fine. After the wedding my mother-in-law said that I could call them by their first names or I could call them “Mom” and “Dad.” I told her I wanted to call them “Mom” and “Dad.” So on that day I was adopted into the family and had a new set of parents, but most of all I had a father.
I enjoyed hearing my father-in-law’s stories. He loved telling them and I loved listening to them. He seemed to go out of his way to include me and I always felt like I was part of the family. I remember getting cooking lessons from him—he showed me how to make sauce and how to roast red peppers. I tried to show him how to make Lumpia, but he was only interested in eating them. =)
I think he knew that I needed a father and he treated me as a daughter. I remember so many things about my father-in-law. I remember when we watched him preach—there were only a handful of people in the congregation, but it didn’t matter to him—he preached as if he was speaking to a thousand people. I remember when he prayed over my husband as he was getting ordained. I cried because it was a special honor for us. I remember how he held each of my children, and how he loved them.
I remember when he said good-bye to me last year. He gave me the ultimate blessing when he said that I was a good wife and a good mother. He said that he was proud of us. It meant a lot to hear those words. I will miss him. I will miss his encouragement. I wish I could turn back time and spend more time with him—listening to his stories and enjoying meals with him, but I will have to wait until I see him again in glory. Today I am not only mourning the death of my father-in-law, but I am also mourning the death of my adopted father. I love you, Dad! Because of you, I see God as a loving God—a God who reached out to me—me, a worthless sinner— and allowed me to be called a child of God (John 1:12). Because of your acceptance of me, I see God as accepting of me—He grafted me into His family (Romans 11:17). Because of your testimony and example, I am prepared to accept whatever God lays before me; and I hope I will be as faithful as you. Thank you for helping me to see God as He truly is!
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