My father and I had a difficult beginning. Because of things that happened in his childhood, he had problems relating. There was a time that we didn’t talk at all. And I regret that. When we did relate I was grown. We had 6 wonderful years of fellowship. He lived long enough to see me married and have my first son. It wasn’t his first grandchild but he treated him like he was. The reason I related to my biological father is because I connected to my spiritual one. When I came into a relationship with God, He began to heal my heart. This allowed me to relate and forgive my earthly father. My earthly dad smoked all his life. At the end he was smoking 2 packs of unfiltered cigarettes a day. The doctors told him quit or die. He quit smoking and lived 10 more years. Those years were for me. God had arranged that my dad would live long enough for our relationship to bloom. My earthly dad and I talked almost every day. If I didn’t call, he would call and ask if any was wrong. I tried to get my other brothers to do the same. Some did but not all. God healed my heart so I could open it and love again. For a long time I was hurt and angry. Most people would not want to be around me then. But as all things do, they change. And I have been changing ever since. God showed me what real love is about. What Jesus suffered and die for was me and you. Jesus did this because He loved me just as much as God did. With that love, I forgave my father and reconciled our lives to be able to know him before he died. My dad has been gone for 33 years and I still miss him.
