Dad's Gone--Now It's Up to Us

  Dad, along with Mom, has been in my life, whether near or far away, ever since I was born. 

Others have come and gone, but Dad has been Dad all my life.

 

He was the dad, the parent, the authority figure, 

the grandpa, the patriarch, 

the head of a large family and clan, and the example and pattern. 

 It's up to us now.

Where he followed God and did the right things, we must step up and do the same. 

Where he obeyed God, we must obey also.

Where he reached high, we must also reach. And where his wagon was hitched to a star, we must hitch ours to the Star. 

 

 Where he carried the torch successfully, we must carry that same torch.

Where he failed and made mistakes, we must not sit around blaming, but step up and do better. 

Where his example left something to be desired, it's up to us to be a better example.  

 

 It's up to us.

And it begins with love. 

Love forgives. Love lets go of blame. Love always hopes, always endures. Love seeks not her own, is not puffed up. Love seeks to understand, to be patient, to return good for evil. Love reaches out, embraces, speaks kindly, gets tough sometimes, defends the helpless, confronts sin. Love was what we received when God first loved us. Now it's up to us.

It's up to us to love as Christ loved. It's a big assignment. Are we ready for the job?