447. Celebrating God's Grace, Honoring our Fathers and our Heavenly Father

Join Kelly Williams Hale today as she shares her thoughts on Fathers, both our earthly Daddy and our Heavenly Father. In honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, Kelly also shares a personal love letter to her father who has gone on to be with Jesus.

Our prayer is that you are encouraged and receive the message of God’s unconditional love for you.

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Hi there, and welcome to the Women World Leaders Podcast.

 My name is Kelly Williams Hale and I'm your host today on Celebrating God's Grace.

I'm an author, speaker and mentor helping women discover the purpose God has for them and embrace their divine destiny.

This week l I want to talk about fathers. Our earthly father as well as our father in heaven.

Growing up, I struggled with accepting that God loves me unconditionally. It was difficult to believe that God loved me no matter what. Particularly because I didn’t always have a great relationship with my earthly father. I think many of us compare the idea of a heavenly father with our human father. I know I did. To make my daddy on earth happy, I felt like I needed to be a good girl. All the time. That translated in my view of God. If I was good, he would love me. If I made a mistake, or was bad, then I was in trouble with the Lord.

I have since deepened my relationship with God and hold this scripture close to my heart:

 Ephesians 3:18-19

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

As an adult, I know now that both of my parents did the best they could. I’m extremely grateful that I was brought up in church. My mom took me and my brothers to church regularly but I don’t recall my dad going with us. 

As a teenager, I do remember when one of the church elders visited our house to talk to my dad. And I recall he was baptized that weekend. 

My dad was a complicated man, as many men are!

And so today I want to read a letter I wrote my dad, to honor him on Father’s Day this weekend.

It’s not a coincidence that this podcast is being aired one year and six months to the day he went to heaven.

Maybe your father is in heaven… maybe you didn’t have a great relationship with your dad… maybe you still don’t. 

My encouragement today is celebrate the Grace that we have in Jesus. To remember that our parents are human and make mistakes and poor choices, just like we all do… but that we have a heavenly father that loves us so much. A father in heaven that will never leave us, and never for sake us. His love never dies.

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

 If your dad is still around and there are unresolved issues, I pray that you experience restoration and reconciliation.

 Colossians 3:13 says:

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

 And

Ephesians 4:32 says:

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

All things are possible with God.

 Dear Daddy,

Hey there Pops, I wanted to write a letter to you for months and could kick myself for waiting. How do I start now? We shared so many moments. You have been my hero since I was born – although we didn’t meet until I was 9 months old. You and mom “made me” on your honeymoon! I always thought that was so romantic that you and Mom conceived me on your honeymoon. Two 20-year-olds just starting your life together. But then you had to report back to duty to fight in a war I don’t know much about. Fight for your life. You never talked about your time in Vietnam. You never mentioned the things you saw.

When I was 11, I found letters from the wives of the soldiers you saved in that war You risked your own life to pull them from the waters to safety. You gave them another chance at life. Jesus did the same thing for us – pulling us all from the murky depths of sin so that we could live again. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

 Mom recently found paperwork from the sessions with your psychiatrist. You were applying for disability benefits for PTSD. How could you NOT have post-traumatic stress disorder? You told a story of transporting prisoners when an officer suddenly kicked one of them right out of a helicopter! The sounds of screaming haunted you. I can’t even imagine.

Now, knowing the demons you battled your whole life, my heart breaks, Daddy. Mom said she never knew but can understand why you drank. To escape. The voices, the memories, the pain. I wish you could’ve shared that part of your life. None of us knew what you were thinking.

You loved us. I know that. Having four children by the time you were 25 must have been a challenge. I can barely take care of one at a time. God gave me three beautiful kids, a decade apart, for a reason!

I was so scared to tell you and mom when I got pregnant with Christie. I was just 19. Looking back, I know I was running away. I wanted to escape the pain that I didn’t yet understand. You and mom were always there for me. Supporting me when I moved back home after my divorce and when I went back to college with a 2-year-old. Then, years later, helping me move (several times!) when Greg and I would break up - and get back together. I was a mess, but you loved me anyway.

Honestly, Daddy, we’re all a mess! But God loves us anyway. Like a father who loves the daughter who always needed him.

I remember you telling me and Greg something that I have absolutely no recollection of. I was about 5 or 6 when this incident occurred and while I have no memory of it, you thought I knew. You carried the weight of guilt and shame, imagining my judgement. I believe you found freedom when you learned that I never held that against you. I just always loved you, mistakes, and all.

That’s how God loves us. Unconditionally. Jesus took our sins and nailed them to the cross. He died for us so we can live. God never withholds his love, even when we feel ashamed of our past.

It’s taken me awhile to believe this. I had to learn how to forgive myself for my own poor choices. I’ve learned so much about grace, Daddy.

Another thing I know is that God created you for a purpose. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

 I believe your purpose included the family you and mom created. Even when you were diagnosed with a rare blood disease, God had a purpose. You defeated the odds. At 31 years old, the doctors gave you a 5-year life expectancy. But God gave you nearly 45 more years on this earth – to bless the people in your life. Your family certainly, but also the friends you made.

I’m so proud of you Pops. I wish I told you that more often. I know you were proud of me, even though you may not have said it often either. Remember the time you were at The Breakfast Club and out of nowhere you heard my voice? Your friend Mo was on her phone watching a video I had posted on Facebook! How crazy that you were at the restaurant and heard my voice of encouragement. Only God could’ve orchestrated that special moment!

I can’t wait to see you again. You know how they say a hero remembered never dies? I believe that’s true since I carry you in my heart now, everywhere I go. And until God calls me home, I will continue to live MY purpose here on earth.

I love you so much.

Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.