"Don't Go Daddy."

Most of my "Faith Walks" with my two daughters when they were young, took place in the car, on weekend visits. Being a divorced, single dad, at the time, once I became born again, I saw the need and desire to talk to both daughters about how God was working in my life, why we "always" were listening to Christian music in the car,etc. I didn't know they were called "Faith Walks", my daughters fondly called them, and still do: "dad's lectures". I guess I never thought of them as "lectures", I thought I was having great Faith conversations, but that's how they remember them.

Anyway, I remember having many conversations in the car about heaven and salvation and what happens to us after we die. One of the things I wanted to assure them of, especially because of not getting to be with them every day in the home, no matter what happens, as long as they know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, just like their daddy believes, that we will all get to live in eternity together in heaven. (see Romans 8:9-11 "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteous.11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.")

I also told them that even when they couldn't talk to me in person and were missing me, they could talk to God the Father, through their prayers, because as long as they believe in Him, He(the Holy Spirit) will always be there for them.

This never became more clear than one weekend I was taking my oldest daughter back home from a weekend with me, just the two of us. She was in her early teens at the time. Her grandmother was to meet me to pick her up and take her the rest of the way home. When we got to our destination and got out of the car, for some reason this particular weekend, my daughter wouldn't let me go. She said, "Don't go Daddy. Please don't go." This was very unusual only because this had been many years after the divorce and these weekend visits had been happening many, many times without this type of response. Of course it's late on a Sunday night, her grandmother is waiting there to take her home and she wouldn't let me go. She began to cry, was very emotional, grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. She told me she was afraid that something was going to happen to me. She thought that I might get into a car accident on the way home. I tried to reassure her the best I could, that I would be OK and hugged her for awhile and then she was finally able to go with her grandmother.

It was a heart wrenching drive home (This is just one more reason why God hates divorce). Of course I drove extremely careful on the two and a half hour drive back home to Minneapolis. I cried and I prayed, all the way back. I prayed for my daughter, for both daughters, asking God to be there for them in their sorrow, to give them peace, to protect them and keep them safe. I asked God the Father to be there for them when I, their earthly father, could not be there for them. And for me, in order to keep my sanity and my emotions in check, I asked God to be there for me too, in my fears, in my pain and my sorrow.

In the book of  John, Chapter 16, it was nearing the time for Jesus to be betrayed. Jesus is having a discussion with the disciples. He was going to be leaving them. In verses 5-6 "But now I am going away to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, "Where are You going?" v.6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you sorrow has filled your heart. v7 Nevertheless it is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor(the Holy Spirit) will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you."

Jesus goes on to explain further what he means about going away, in verses 20-21 then in verse 22 Jesus says, "So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. 23 In that day you will not ask Me anything. "I assure you; anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete."

Our children won't always be with us. Divorced family or not, children eventually grow up and leave the home to begin their own lives.It's a fact of life.Your time with them is so very short. Don't miss the opportunities in the car, at home, in a restaurant, or on the ball field, to have "lectures", God conversations with your children. We choose to call them "faith walks" at New Beginnings.It really doesn't matter what you "call them", what does matter is that you "have them". Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, He will guide you in your "walks". And one day we will rejoice, that through Jesus Christ' sacrifice on the cross, for ALL who believe, one day, we will ALL be together again in eternity, never to be separated again. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Terry Langenberg
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