"I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth."
~ 3 John 1:4
Father's Day 2016. The day my Evan gave his heart to Christ. For reals.
I say "for reals" for a reason. When Evan was a younger child, I was his children's church leader. He was Miss Becky's son and in his mind, it was something that was expected of him to do. He believed in the things of our faith, but it was not something he had fully examined for himself.
Fast forward to present. We have been talking a lot this year about "working out your salvation" (Philippians 2:12) and making the faith you hold your own. As young adults, my kids can no longer lean on believing things just because mom and dad say it's right. They must examine those beliefs for themselves and see if they hold true in their own lives.
A few months ago at DNOW, Pastor Jim Gillespie was the keynote speaker. When I first met Pastor Jim, he scared me to death. A big burly biker guy who always wore jeans and black leather. Duck Dynasty beard and just all around scary looking guy. As I've gotten to know him over the years, and his family, wow, was I wrong! His son is Evan's best friend, his wife is the most beautiful lady I've ever known, and Pastor Jim is a massive teddy bear with a heart of compassion to see people live for Christ. At DNOW, Jim spoke about John 14:15, which very simply and plainly says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Pretty simple and to the point. To the point, that's Pastor Jim. Evan and Alex both came up to me that evening at DNOW and their views on everything were radically changed.
Father's Day Sunday, Pastor Jim preached this sermon again, and Evan was so excited to hear it again. After service was over, he leaned onto me crying. When I asked him what was wrong he simply said, "I need to talk to dad." We went to find dad, who was ministering to others somewhere throughout the church, but who stopped everything when his son needed him. What a great dad! He sat Evan down with him and ended up leading him straight into the arms of Christ. For reals this time. It's now his own faith he wants to embrace...and no longer just the faith of his father.
What a fabulous Father's Day present. Like Alex joked, "How can I even compete with Evan's Father's Day present?" No competition, sweet girl. For now I can leave this world in peace knowing both of my children are walking with the Lord. "Not a sinless perfection, but a sinless direction", as stated by our lead Pastor David.
My favorite part of this story that keeps resonating in my soul was the phrase, "I need to talk to dad." When we face hard questions and issues in life, run to the Father. Find Him amidst all the things He's doing. He will stop everything for you! The One who has all the answers. The Bible calls God our Abba Father, a term of endearment for dear old dad. Crawl up into His lap and simply talk to Dad. He's always there!
