“For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son,
that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The morning my dad died, I woke up and realized something was not right. We lived in a house with old-fashioned wooden shutters which were closed every night. By the angle of the light coming through the slats I could judge the time of day. The light immediately told me the morning was advanced. My first thought was, “Yippee, mom forgot to wake me for school. I get to stay home today!” That happy idea rapidly dissipated. Hearing strange voices, I peeked out of my bedroom door and saw a group of people in the dining room, which included my mom, aunt, a family friend, and doctor.
They obviously heard the door open because the next thing my aunt came in. She sat on my bed, put her arms around me and said, “Your dad has gone to join gentle Jesus.” With that simple statement my life changed forever.
Next on the scene was my older sister who took charge authoritatively and decisively, I was marched off to the corner store to buy bread. I obeyed, confused and bewildered. Little did I know that the Bread of Life was about to reach out to me.
My sister told me not to cry and to stay away from my mom as she had so much to deal with right now. Before anyone jumps on my poor sister, she was desperately trying to be the grown up and take care of my mom.
I grabbed my dogs and wandered off into my playroom, feeling desperately lost and confused. I loved reading so I had a bookshelf crammed with books. For the first time I noticed a Bible and for some reason pulled it out. It fell open to John 3:16.
I read that verse and somewhere in my childish mind, and not in these words, but in my spirit the thought stirred what kind of love voluntarily gives up their child. And at that point, a small anchor was placed deep into my soul, the other end firmly tethered to Him.
It took another 17 years before I accepted Christ, but that anchor held me through times of struggle, loss and a whole lot of stupidity. And when He yanked that tether and pulled me firmly into His kingdom, it came in the most spectacular way. And that is a story for another day (blog post).
