Recently I have been thinking about my dad’s favorite scripture verse. Maybe it’s because he dropped it on me one day when he overheard me on a call with my mentor. We had just finished praying that God would reveal clear plans for my next steps in some big decisions I needed to make.  I was stressed and tired, and my dad said 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand “~ Isa 41:10 CSB

I instantly had peace, and tears streamed down my face. I knew things would be ok.

My dad always had a way of making things better when growing up and still does today. 

Memories flood my head of my childhood years. My siblings and I would hide as my dad excused himself from the restaurant table to speak to a stranger about Jesus.

When we were teenagers, he would stop people in the parking lot and say, 

“This may sound strange, but Jesus wants you to know he loves you.”

We would look for a place to hide our faces, yet the people he spoke with never seemed to mind. I never understood the “prompting” he was referring to as a child.  But I do now as an adult.

About a month ago, while on the phone with him, God had prompted me to remind him of his favorite verse. At this time, he had been in the hospital for weeks struggling in health. Afraid he would not make it, he began to express his fears and confess his love for me.  As his daughter, my heart broke, and I wanted to cry.  But as a woman of God, I followed the prompting of the holy spirit. 

I said, “dad, don’t be afraid… What’s your favorite scripture.”

He replied, “Isiah 41:10.”

“exactly; why is it your favorite scripture?”

Without hesitation, he explains, “because God has me share it with people at just the right time in their life.”

I reflected on his words, took a deep breath in, and spoke. “Now it’s your turn to remember… don’t be afraid, dad God has a plan; he is not finished with you yet.”

Just like that, I saw peace wash over him.  

Looking back, I am grateful that my dad made me feel uncomfortable as a child to show me what it meant to stand for Jesus.  I am thankful to have been raised by a man that loved God and showed it in his walk and action daily.  And no, he was not perfect; no man or family is. But because of his obedience, I am grounded in truth and can teach my children.  

I can honor my father in action and pray he is blessed to see how his obedience impacted his children and his children’s children.

Yea, big difference. Now I love the military, but the thought of my son giving his life for our country both makes me proud and terrifies me at the same time. 

Day in and day out, he watches YouTube videos of training and how to physically and mentally train to prepare for the most challenging training of his life. 

One afternoon after class, he was listening to a seal give a speech.  He was talking about extensive training that his men had to do to complete their seal training.  The men had to do a night swim in the ocean.  The instructors informed them about all the sharks and its danger.  However, to become a seal, you need to complete the swim.  

The instructions given to the men doing the night swim were as follows: “If you encountered sharks, do the following: If a shark circles you, do NOT swim away but stand your ground and show no fear. If the shark comes toward you, punch them in the nose with all the force you have, and the shark would swim away.” 

The soon-to-be soldiers would be facing a lot of sharks in life. They need to be ready to meet their sharks and overcome their fears to complete their assignment.

They had three choices.  Quit and walk, Fight and grind, or die in their fear.

This training was a great analogy of life and made me think.  What areas in my life are sharks swimming, and I need to stand firm and punch them in the nose?  We all have sharks to get past if we plan on accomplishing the goals we have.  The sharks won’t go away.  The question is, what will you choose to do?

Quit and walk (Wondering what it would have looked like if…)

Fight and Grind (You know it will be scary, but you are willing to face fear, and even if you fail, you will get up and do it again until you win…)

Die in fear (Allow fear to paralyze you and stay where you are…)

I refuse to quit or allow fear to keep me in an unwanted place.  So, it’s time to grind.

One day while driving home, my youngest son John asks 

“Mom, when God doesn’t pay attention, is that when bad stuff happens?”

I take a quick peek in the review mirror and smile, saying, 

“Johnny, God is always paying attention. He knows all the bad stuff that is happening, but he does not control us.  He gives us the freedom to make our own choices so we can choose to love him on our own. When people make the wrong choices sometimes, it affects others, not just them. Other times things happen, and we won’t know why or understand.  We need to trust God is good and will work it out even if it’s scary or sad.”

Small silence “oh, I thought God got distracted or something.”

I let out a chuckle and said, “No, bud, humans get distracted but not God. Just remember to keep trusting him.”

It’s funny how kids process.   We are still in the middle of a pandemic, and although he is six years old, he is fully aware of the devastation and inconvenience this pandemic has made on the world. From sickness to isolation and inability to be in a school building or play with friends, he can only describe his frustration as God not paying attention.  After all, he sees God as a superhero, so why has he let all this happen?  The reality is that even at a young age, kids need to learn the importance of keeping their eyes on God. He is learning to trust him in every situation, even if he doesn’t understand it.  Teaching that to them is also a perfect reminder for us to walk it out.