Dad came to live with us two days after us finding him again. Two days after we found out he was alive and safe in a hospital. Two days after we found out he was dying of stomach cancer.
The days moved past in a blur. Hospice was called, they brought equipment to our house, we turned our sitting room into hospital quarters, and He came home in an ambulance. Reality slapped us in the face very quickly. Our adjustment period was crammed into a day. Life as we all knew it was not going to be the same and we didn’t know for how long. We spent as much time as we could with him, letting him know he belonged with us and he was loved.
Cancer humbled him and us. Our lives had intertwined again and it was like we had never been apart. Three weeks later he was gone. It seemed as though just as quickly he was back with us, he was gone again. Only this time he had a home to go to. Jesus took Dad home to be with Him.
The power of God’s love and mercy shone on us during the time Dad was with us. It was like once He died, I couldn’t feel God’s presence or love in the house anymore. I fell deep into grief and depression. I began to recount my life’s journey up to that point and I wasn’t pleased with what I was seeing. It would take over a month of this process for me to finally realize, in the early morning hours I had begun to keep, I felt farther from God than I had ever felt.
Sometimes it takes big events in our lives before we realize God has been there the entire time. God had been there for me throughout all of it. Although my first two marriages had not worked out, His unending love carried me through the storms.
Little by little, through reading the bible, I began to realize God had been waiting for me to come back to Him. Patiently. Waiting. For me. As I have said before, He already knows how my story will go, because He has crafted it. He knew I would find him when I did the first time. He knew I would gradually stray from the relationship with Him I had formed. He knew Dad would be sent back to us and would leave this world with us by his side. He knew I would find my way back to Him through the grief. The patient love He possesses is proof to me He desires a relationship with me.
I have always said “everything happens for a reason” and the sentiment couldn’t be more true to me today. I know God sent Dad back to us to show us the power of his unending love. How do I know this? Before we found him, Dad had been homeless. We had worried about his safety for over five years. After we found him, he had a home again. We no longer had to worry. Through Dad’s death, I have a relationship with my Lord and Savior again. I have a deeper connection and love with my husband. I have a stronger relationship with my mother. And I have an inner peace that transcends my largest dreams. Even through the tragedy of cancer and death, I am comforted knowing, despite my past, the power of God’s love surpasses any other love I have in my life. Everything does happen for a reason.
This is my story, what’s yours? I would love to hear from you! Click on the “Tell Me Your Story” link and know that all stories shared are done so in confidence. I may even contact you for permission to use your story as a featured post in the future! Inspire other about your story of God’s power in your life!
Until next week,
Kimberly <3
