I love to read,
and not only does Goodwill have shelves upon shelves of books, but they’re all
under $3.00! How can you beat that? You can’t.
A few months ago I found John Piper’s The Legacy of Sovereign Joy. I needed joy in my life at
the time, but there was definitely another reason God pointed me to its place
on the shelf that afternoon.
After leaving the store and coming home, I plopped down
on my couch and found that there was a rift in the pages.
Maybe an old
bookmark, I thought, as usually is the case with used books.
But when I opened the book I found instead an old Father’s Day
card.
I knew it was intended for the former owner of the book,
but I couldn’t help but to rejoice with its words.
Meant for an earthly father, I felt its sentiments were truly words I
could have given to God. And, today, as
I celebrate fathers, I would find it wrong to not finally share this card with
Him, the ultimate father.
First you gave me roots,
God, You knew I was lost and that I had been lost for a
long time. When I met You so long ago at
that church You knew exactly how to draw me to You. You gave me a community, You gave me a
relationship, but You also gave me a spirit for truth, and in doing so, what followed was a spirit of obedience.
and showed me how to grow from
them…
And then You took me through one of the most painful
years of my life. You had set the
foundation for me, and when my world fell apart—and it did, boy, did it—You were
the only thing left. You gave me an
opportunity to use what I had learned, to love who You put in my life, to rely
on You in moments of grief and anger, and You let me be furious with You. All so that I could continuously find my way
back to You in those months.
…then you gave me wings,
And I fought to fly.
I fought the loneliness, the anxiety, and the hopelessness. In it all, through it all, my eyes remained
locked on You. When I thought times were
too difficult, too fleeting, too hopeless, there You were pushing me forward,
reminding me constantly that my ways are not Your ways and that You confound
the wise. You began to give me
opportunities. Some of which I overcame,
and others at which I failed. Every
single opportunity provided a learning experience, where I learned not only
about You, but who I am in You as Your daughter.
and taught me how to fly.
We went from being grounded, the roots, to being
uplifted, flying, in the sky. God, You
taught me through so many people what it is to love You, what it is to be
filled with joy. And as I move through
life, no, it’s never easy—and thank You for that—I hang onto that joy. When I’m sad, upset, hurting, angry, You have
proved Yourself over and over again that I can trust You, that I am loved by
You, that You will never leave me nor forsake, that everything You do is for my
good. As God, You didn’t need to prove
jack. All powerful, all knowing, all
immutable, righteous, You could have swept me clean off the planet for my disobedience. But You didn’t. I’m still here, new blessings every morning.
I know not the path of my life. Whether it is I will be married or single,
mother or surrogate, writer or starving artist, missionary or caregiver—alive or
dead on any given day. But I know You
and Your heart and will for my life, that whatever it may be, it’s for me. You are for me. You are the perfect Father, the greatest
lover, most gracious Savior, Lord and Master of my life.
And I wouldn’t trade any
of what I’ve gone through for anything else.
I am so thankful for You and the path that You
predetermined for my life.
How great is Your love for me! I may never fully comprehend. And I ask nothing else from You today but
that You would use me to show others the very love that moved my life farther
and deeper than anything else I’ve ever known or will know. True love is wasted contained, but shared it
is spread as legacy throughout the world.
And in a world full of sinners, nothing is greater than the freeing love of Christ.
Above all, love each other deeply, because
love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).
