Seeing Father

My Father contracted tuberculosis at the age of 24. He was to spend the remaining four years of his life in a sanitarium in Akron, Ohio. It was 1934, and the only known treatment was rest and some sunshine on the porch.

Mother would drive about 50 miles to see him every weekend. I was only a few years old, and I was not allowed to go along. But I remember one occasion, when perhaps I was about 6 years of age, when Mother decided it was time to take me with her in the car.

After arriving we walked to a lawn where the many sun-porches, all in a row, could be seen. She asked me to sit on a bench, and she pointed to a particular window on one of the porches. I could see him, she said, while they waved at me. I remember sitting alone for some time. Today it might not be safe to do that sort of thing. But finally I saw the two of them waving to me, and I waved back. It was a brief moment, and my only moment, when I would ever see my Father alive. I could only see him dimly. We were very quiet on our way home that day.

Not long after, at the age of 28, Father went to be with our Lord. This led to one of those special times when Grandmother, my Father’s mother, would use her parlor. His body lay there in rest as callers came to pay their respects. Finally, it was my turn to stand beside him. Mother took me by the hand, and try as I could, I was too small to see him clearly. I remember seeing his side, not his face. There were no tears on my part--I had not learned what it really was to have a Father, or for that matter to lose him.

We did not know it but a new Father was to be given to me very soon. One Saturday night a small revival group came to our little town and preached the wonderful words of Jesus. To my knowledge I was the only one warmed by the words, and I went forward to accept something that I did not fully understand. There was no follow-up on the part of man, but there was every conceivable follow-up by our Lord Jesus. I owe my life to His watchful eye over the span of my teenage years, college, and service in the Navy.

In July of 1964, at the age of 32, I was able to articulate and understand my submission to Jesus. I had acquired a new Father, the creator of the universe, who chose to live His life in me through Christ. Now I see Him dimly, but there will come a time when I shall see Him fully. I will not see only his side--I will see Him face to face. I will not see Him for just a brief instant. I will see Him for eternity. He will not be found in a small, dark room. I shall dwell in His light forever.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23: 6)

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