Dad would’ve been 96 yesterday. It’s been 2.5 years since he left to be with Jesus and I miss him everyday.

I read these words yesterday, and I couldn’t help but to think of my Dad — “God has not left us at the mercy of our own weaknesses.”

Dad could have thrown in the towel with many cards stacked against him —growing up in poverty with an alcoholic father and a family who did not go to church.

But God picked my daddy up through a neighbor who had room in their heart, and in their car, to take my Dad to church.

He surrendered his life to Jesus there and his identity no longer was defined by what he had done, or what had been done to him —but by Christ.

Dad believed God and sought to live by biblical principles.

It wasn’t a government program that changed his life, and our family thereafter; no, it was my dad’s desire to do what the Bible says.

As Dad trusted God enough to follow what He said regardless of feeling or circumstances, the chains of generational sin were broken and the Holy Spirit did a work that has impacted our family for generations.

When Jesus is your Lord and guides your life, you don’t need government to force you to do good things like care for your family, work hard, treat others with respect and kindness, and tell the truth.

You do so because Jesus is your Savior and you love and trust Him. And THAT changes everything.

It changes us and should motivate us—ALL of us who call ourselves Christians.

Will we, in kindness, call wrong things wrong and share the better way?

Will we stand confident on the side of Christ, even if we are ridiculed and persecuted, because we believe in the One True Hope who is Christ the Lord?

Oh friends, because of the Holy Spirit, we are not at the mercy of our own weaknesses! And, “we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” (Heb 10:39)

And we, who know the Lord as Savior, have been given a commission to tell others where they can find real hope too! (Matt 28:19-20). Will we look for the poor kid down the street and take him to church like someone did for my Dad?

May we find the courage to open our mouths and tell of the goodness of God.

For salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12) and that salvation changes lives both here and for eternity!

Happy Birthday Daddy! Thank you for choosing to walk the narrow road for your family is forever blessed because of it. What a gift God gave us when He gave us you! I love you so much…always.

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