As I sit in Starbucks sipping go-go juice I am reminded of what a spiritual father in our church said last night to us at a prayer gathering. "Fatherlessness is rampant in our world, and the church provides an answer..." (paraphrased) This week our family said goodbye to a father in our house in Dave Wood. He provided an often fragile clan the comfort and direction we needed time and time again. There should be a sense of anxiety toward an uncertain future, a fear that creeps in that Dave's role is just to big to fill. But in the exact opposite spirit, there is a fresh sense of hope, a security that a good foundation has been laid.
Dave was a fully devoted follower of Christ, so there are so many patterns and practices that can be mirrored going forward for us making important decisions. There will be times when God asks us like Isaac to not mimic the actions of the fathers who have gone before, but to find fresh faith for our own journey. There are so many things I want to honor and remember that Dave taught me in leadership, but I know he would as a good father say, "You must now find your way in God." I realize now that so much of what Dave modeled to us was for such a time as this, when he is no longer with us. Something of the call from Chris Wienand to provide fathering in the sea of fatherlessness rings clearer now. How many people would have fresh faith and courage for their uncertain future if they had a father like Dave to spend time with? I look forward to the years ahead, when a legacy can be passed on, and new paths can be opened to us as a family.
Dave was a fully devoted follower of Christ, so there are so many patterns and practices that can be mirrored going forward for us making important decisions. There will be times when God asks us like Isaac to not mimic the actions of the fathers who have gone before, but to find fresh faith for our own journey. There are so many things I want to honor and remember that Dave taught me in leadership, but I know he would as a good father say, "You must now find your way in God." I realize now that so much of what Dave modeled to us was for such a time as this, when he is no longer with us. Something of the call from Chris Wienand to provide fathering in the sea of fatherlessness rings clearer now. How many people would have fresh faith and courage for their uncertain future if they had a father like Dave to spend time with? I look forward to the years ahead, when a legacy can be passed on, and new paths can be opened to us as a family.
