Daily Devotional: Wednesday, Sept 23

Speaker: Paul Diaz

Theme: Unforgiveness - a BIG bag!

Weekend Music links on iTunes:   Your Grace Is Enough by Chris Tomlin; Sing to the King by Passion Worship Band; Glory by Hillsong United; Mighty to Save by Hillsong.
 

I never really knew my father.  I grew up in a huge family, one of the "babies" of the family along with my twin sister and little brother.   My memories of dad are of an angry man with an explosive temper who would discipline his ten kids in anger, profanity, and fear.  Mom was as afraid of him as I was.  She prayed a lot and worked hard keeping the peace.   But whenever he had a drink in him, you could be sure he'd be on a tirade. 

Not a nourishing environment for a family.  My father died of lung cancer when I was 30.  I was a young mother with a 6-month old daughter and a loving marriage.  After a yearlong illness, in and out of hospitals, my father died surrounded by his very large family.  I remember standing in the hospital room with my family watching as my father's life slowly came to an end.  And in those last moments, he called each one of us by name and wanted to touch our hands.  It was the most intimate moment with him we'd ever known.  I stood there remembering how hard he worked to feed and clothe all ten of us, sending us all to private schools, adding on to our house as the family grew, fixing everything that needed fixing, including cars, even reupholstering furniture, all the ways he showed devotion to his family.  One of ways to start a healing journey is to do what Philippians 4:8 tells us. Meditate on the good report.

In that moment we all knew he really did love us, but he didn't know how to show affection.  A few days after the funeral I remember standing at the kitchen sink doing the dishes of all things, and thinking of my father's life and my confusion and hurt from the lack of relationship we had.  In that quiet moment of reflection the Lord showed me a picture of my father, not as an angry man unable to give or receive love, but as a child who had come from a dysfunctional home who was needing love and encouragement as much if not more than I did. I pictured the children that Jesus called in Matthew 19:14. And forgiving that child, my father, came easily, blessed by the Lord's love and tender mercy.

Do: If you have anyone you are struggling to forgive try visualizing them as a child.

Timberlake Church | 4505 236th Ave. NE • Redmond, Washington 98053 • 425-869-4400 • info@tlcf.org