I miss my dad. As I read through his writings, Revelation
21:7 is one that my Father has typed up in bold on one page. “He that overcomes
shall inherit all things, him shall I call my son, he will call me my God.” As
I read further I am reminded of what my Father stood for. He was a person who
knew where he came from, what he was about and where he was going. Forever, my
Father is a hero in my eyes. An overcomer. My Father fiercely believed in the
promises of the Word of God. He knew the life that pours out through God’s
word, he knew the love that carries us all as the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. My father knew that one step of faith on his behalf would allow a
lifetime of seeing God’s faithfulness in all circumstances. He knew of the life
of an overcomer. By faith, he overcame and succeeded in a world that would have
loved to slap a label on his life, family and circumstances and placed it all
neatly into a little box. He knew by God’s grace he had overcome, he had
ventured near and far across the world, studied at a doctorate level, lived
life fully knowing he was going to make an impact in this world serving others.
Despite coming from a small, tiny, little known island in the middle of the Indian
ocean. Everyone in this world will always be just a little too self involved,
too worried about our own, too consumed in our routines, too in love with our
own, too comfortable that we may overlook, underestimate, or ignore what may not
really intersect into our spheres. Reading through what my Father writes, I
hear once again his voice, his words, his heart. He knew he could live life
easily just making money for self and family. Yet, my Father knew he would gain
a deeper, greater joy from serving the Lord. Doing the difficult, the less
esteemed work of ministering, teaching the Bible, preaching the Good News of
the Gospel of peace. I will never forget how my father would say with faithful determination
and a calm peace that there was truly no greater joy than in serving the Lord. He would say this as I knew my Dad was
suffering in pain as cancer spread and metastasized through his body as he preserved
in Sri Lanka.
I read chapter 21 of the book of Revelation and verse 4
& 5 states, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then
he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There is
not a day that goes past that in some way memories of my Father are present. If
I dwell on it too long tears would surely spill down my cheeks and the
throbbing stabbing pains in my heart would probably start up again. Grief is so
strange. It lingers, it waxes and wanes, it subsides but it never ever goes
away. Yet, we have this pain because we were able to have such great joy in our
lives as our Father’s daughters. We had such a great Father and I am ever so
grateful as I grow and live in this world where this has become such a rarity.
The most precious inheritance my Father left us with was our faith. Our Dad and
Mom taught us to pray, to read the Bible, the value our faith, our hope, our
belief in a saving grace. This faith in the unfailing love of Jesus, our hope
in the saving grace of our Lord has been at the very center of our lives ever
since. This is why I read verse 4 and 5 of Rev 21 and it gives me peace, hope
and joy. Knowing that one day there will be no more tears, no more pain. Reading
further in the New International Version translation it states, ‘to the thirsty
I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life’. At the
center point of my Father’s life was his thirst for the Lord, to serve the
Lord, to know the Lord more and to share the love of the Lord with others. This
faith in Jesus is for those willing to put aside ourselves, for those who let our
souls thirst after a living God (Psalms 42:1-2) and those who hold fast to our
faith. Faith in a God who is loving, faith in a grace that saves us. ‘Those
that are victorious, those who overcome shall inherit all things, and I will be
their God and they will be my children’(Rev 21:7).
I miss my dad. As I read through his writings, Revelation
21:7 is one that my Father has typed up in bold on one page. “He that overcomes
shall inherit all things, him shall I call my son, he will call me my God.” As
I read further I am reminded of what my Father stood for. He was a person who
knew where he came from, what he was about and where he was going. Forever, my
Father is a hero in my eyes. An overcomer. My Father fiercely believed in the
promises of the Word of God. He knew the life that pours out through God’s
word, he knew the love that carries us all as the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. My father knew that one step of faith on his behalf would allow a
lifetime of seeing God’s faithfulness in all circumstances. He knew of the life
of an overcomer. By faith, he overcame and succeeded in a world that would have
loved to slap a label on his life, family and circumstances and placed it all
neatly into a little box. He knew by God’s grace he had overcome, he had
ventured near and far across the world, studied at a doctorate level, lived
life fully knowing he was going to make an impact in this world serving others.
Despite coming from a small, tiny, little known island in the middle of the Indian
ocean. Everyone in this world will always be just a little too self involved,
too worried about our own, too consumed in our routines, too in love with our
own, too comfortable that we may overlook, underestimate, or ignore what may not
really intersect into our spheres. Reading through what my Father writes, I
hear once again his voice, his words, his heart. He knew he could live life
easily just making money for self and family. Yet, my Father knew he would gain
a deeper, greater joy from serving the Lord. Doing the difficult, the less
esteemed work of ministering, teaching the Bible, preaching the Good News of
the Gospel of peace. I will never forget how my father would say with faithful determination
and a calm peace that there was truly no greater joy than in serving the Lord. He would say this as I knew my Dad was
suffering in pain as cancer spread and metastasized through his body as he preserved
in Sri Lanka.
I read chapter 21 of the book of Revelation and verse 4
& 5 states, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then
he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There is
not a day that goes past that in some way memories of my Father are present. If
I dwell on it too long tears would surely spill down my cheeks and the
throbbing stabbing pains in my heart would probably start up again. Grief is so
strange. It lingers, it waxes and wanes, it subsides but it never ever goes
away. Yet, we have this pain because we were able to have such great joy in our
lives as our Father’s daughters. We had such a great Father and I am ever so
grateful as I grow and live in this world where this has become such a rarity.
The most precious inheritance my Father left us with was our faith. Our Dad and
Mom taught us to pray, to read the Bible, the value our faith, our hope, our
belief in a saving grace. This faith in the unfailing love of Jesus, our hope
in the saving grace of our Lord has been at the very center of our lives ever
since. This is why I read verse 4 and 5 of Rev 21 and it gives me peace, hope
and joy. Knowing that one day there will be no more tears, no more pain. Reading
further in the New International Version translation it states, ‘to the thirsty
I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life’. At the
center point of my Father’s life was his thirst for the Lord, to serve the
Lord, to know the Lord more and to share the love of the Lord with others. This
faith in Jesus is for those willing to put aside ourselves, for those who let our
souls thirst after a living God (Psalms 42:1-2) and those who hold fast to our
faith. Faith in a God who is loving, faith in a grace that saves us. ‘Those
that are victorious, those who overcome shall inherit all things, and I will be
their God and they will be my children’(Rev 21:7). 
