A large part of my testimony comes from my relationship with my Dad. My parents divorced when I was very young and I lived with my Mom in the years after that. Up until high school, my relationship with my Dad was okay considering I only saw him during summers and some holidays. I don’t know what started our separation, perhaps I never will, but after I visited my Dad in Memphis Sophomore year, He didn’t talk to me for two years. It was the hardest two years of my life. I felt un- wanted. The most heart wrenching time was when I waited all day to hear from him on my birthday and didn’t. Unfortunately this had happened before but I blamed in on his busy schedule… Throughout these two years, I prayed every single night that the Lord would show me what I did wrong. It took me a while to realize there was nothing I had done. My Dad would choose to be my Dad again when he wanted to. And there was nothing in the world I could do to change who he was.
It was in these two years that I was taught a lesson that would change my faith for the better. In these years, I felt like I had no Father. Oh how wrong I was. The Lord showed me that He is the greatest Father I could ever ask for. He will never let me down no matter how badly I mess up. I learned that even though I didn’t have an earthly Father, I had a perfect one in Heaven. Deuteronomy 31:8 shows us that God will NEVER leave or forsake us. We can always count on that.
After many more prayers God showed me that in order to truly move forward in my relationship with Him, I must forgive my Dad for everything. It was hard for me to do as I don’t believe my Dad is aware that he has done anything wrong to begin with, but I forgave him. I have since moved from that point in my life and have a stronger relationship with Christ. That experience strengthened me.
In the summer before freshman year of college, I received an email from my Dad saying that he missed me and wanted to establish a relationship with me again. I was ecstatic. This is what I had prayed for every night. God answered my prayers and since I received that email, my Dad and I have been closer than ever. He came to visit me for the first time in October of 2009 and I visited him the following summer. We also spent our first Thanksgiving and Christmas together in quite a few years. We talk, text, and email on a regular basis and I can tell that my Dad genuinely wants to be a big part of my life. He is trying.
I cannot put into word how wonderful it feels to have my Father back in my life. I know that those two trying years of my life had to happen in order for me to learn to depend on Christ. He taught me how to love him, how to forgive, and how to move forward into a better life. I love my Dad and I am beyond thankful for the relationship we currently have :)
UA vs. Penn State 2010
