I jolted from my peaceful slumber. A bright light blinded me.
“What’s going on?” I puffed deep breaths, as my brain tried to recalibrate.
“Mommy, look at my eyes.” I heard Logan’s little voice pierce through the darkness of my room and the blinding light of my phone that he held in my face. Obviously, I am unable to notice bloodshot eyes quite as well if I can’t zoom them in on a picture on my phone.
So, I learned Logan’s theory last night–apparently if you take a selfie on Mom’s phone up really close of your veiny eyeball and terrify her by shoving it into her sleeping face, she’s more likely to let your wiggly body flop around in her bed after a bad dream. Well, I guess Logan’s theory works. I’m a sucker–I know, but I’m a sucker with a good heart.
At first, I tried to send him back to his bed, but I saw his big watery, googoo eyes, and I just kept recalling when I was a little girl and wanted so badly to be in Mama and Daddy’s bed at night when something scared me, because I knew I was safe there.
I learned about my Heavenly Father in the safety of sleeping in the middle of Mama and Daddy’s big bed. There, I knew my daddy was willing to give his life to protect me, but it was during the waking hours that I learned about the true strength of my father: the hours he spent on his knees fighting battles for our family, our friends, and everyone he came in contact with. I watched him pray people to healing. I watched him pray people to safety. I watched him pray people to breakthroughs in their marriage, in their children, and in their jobs. I watched people be delivered from all kinds of horrible addictions and fears as he prayed for them. I could see them kind of melt off.
I remember things like watching my father give his only coat away to a homeless man to help him learn that God provides, and then I watched him give away the last dollar in his pocket to buy clothes and shoes for children with families in need and leave them on their doorsteps. He did not wait around for a thank you, but rather quickly darted off to his car to make sure the “thank you” went to God.
I learned to TRUST God and what FAITH is by watching my father trust God to provide when he did what God asked of him.
Yes, I learned a lot about the protection of God, His love, and His mercy through the actions of my earthly father–when he didn’t even know I was paying attention. It wasn’t a show. It’s just who my daddy is. His desire has always been to share Jesus with people, but no matter how much he’s talked about Jesus, it’s his actions that have turned more people to Christ than any of his words.
EVERY ACTION WE MAKE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO LEAD SOMEONE CLOSER TO GOD OR FARTHER AWAY.
My dad has always said, “You may be the only Bible that some people ever read,” but I’ll add this…”be a GOOD TRANSLATION of the Bible.” May the life you live on this earth, bring the favor of God and man, according to Proverbs 3:4, but most of all, grow so closely to Christ that your actions demonstrate Him, even when no one watches.
HappygoMisty 