Monday, March 3, 2008

I Am My Father's Daughter


When I was a little girl, I remember waking up in the morning and seeing a huge pile of cigarette butts on a big ash tray. Those cigarette butts weren't there the night before so I knew all those cigarettes were consumed that night by my dad... You see my dad used to wake up in the middle of the night, I guess due to stress and anxiety - he's a worrier.

When I was in high school, I remembered noticing that there were no cigarette butts in the morning anymore. Instead, there was an open Bible with lots of highlights and underline.... You see, it was in those sleepless nights that my dad met the Lord. No one shared with him about "needing to be born again". It was directly a work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. When he was waking up with anxious thoughts in the morning, the Spirit of the Lord led him to a personal relationship with God.

I am a worrier like my Dad. Thankfully, I met Jesus at an early age and didn't have to consume a large amount of cigarette to cover up my anxiety. I had learned early on that whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning at dawn, what I need to do is to call upon the Lord and lift up my concerns to Him. And so after this mini post, I will do just that - pray.

3 comments:

Kathy in WA said...

Wow - what a powerful picture of a changed life. From ashes to scripture.

Anonymous said...

Liza, this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing that image. That's a picture I can remember in the middle of the night when worries get really big and vicious.

Awesome.

Truth said...

What a blessing that your dad had a tranformation experience and set an example of what to do with worry. Such a beautiful portrait of a father.