In Memory of John E. "Jack" Parker - My father

With Sunday being Father's Day in the US, I thought that I would post this writing that I did after my father died in 2003. Even thought it has been 12 years, I still will miss him a little more on Sunday.

October 17, 1928 - July 3, 2003

On July 8th, 2003 on a beautiful sunny Tuesday morning, I stood in Bay Pines National Cemetery and watched them lower my father into the ground. That is a moment that will stand out in my memory forever. He was a good man, and I shall miss him.

At least I know that I won't have to miss my father forever. For you see, my father was a Christian. Even in his final days, his concerns were not for himself. He worried that his family would always stay together, and he wanted to know how he could pray better. He would ask our Pastor "How would Jesus pray?" "How can I better talk with our Lord?" He was ready for this life to end, anxious for his new one to begin. He was happy at the thought of being reunited with his own father.

As I will be reunited with my Earthly father (and mother) again, on the day I am united with my Heavenly Father. How do I know this? It says in Romans 5:21 -
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."

Eternal
Life. Think of that. And in John 3:15 we are told - "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

1 Corinthians Chapter 15, verses 55-57 tells us of our victory over death -

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

And if that is still not enough to remove all doubt, then 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 13-18 spells it out quite clearly -

"4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

That is how I know that I will see my mother and father again. They both died as Christians, and I am a Christian. And one day, I will be together with them in the clouds. This has been promised to me. This has been promised to all of us. All you have to do is believe. Believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that he died on the Cross to pay for our sins and rose again three days later. With an open and sincere heart, ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sins. You will feel a peace and love like nothing else you have ever experienced before. The joy of being filled with the Holy Spirit is incredible. And, you get to live an eternal life. What more could man ask for?

I Believe!
 
Really great post. I am sorry for your loss. I am afraid that my own mother, father, and brother are not saved.
 
Really great post. I am sorry for your loss. I am afraid that my own mother, father, and brother are not saved.
Just continue to be a living example for them, Juk, and keep praying. My own father was not saved when I was young either. He was probably in his late 60's, early 70's before he accepted Jesus. Don't ever give up hope for them.
 
Just continue to be a living example for them, Juk, and keep praying. My own father was not saved when I was young either. He was probably in his late 60's, early 70's before he accepted Jesus. Don't ever give up hope for them.
That is also another problem. I do have sort of an anger issue and I get annoyed really easily, and my parents do tend to do annoying things. And that sticks. Even after I become more mature in Christ, I'm sure that that impression will stay with them. But I will try my best.
 
That is also another problem. I do have sort of an anger issue and I get annoyed really easily, and my parents do tend to do annoying things. And that sticks. Even after I become more mature in Christ, I'm sure that that impression will stay with them. But I will try my best.
Juk, you're a teenager. The things that I put my parents through when I was a teenager shamed me for years when I looked back on it as an adult. As a parent who now has two grown children, I can promise you that parents do not hold the things against them that their children do in their youth. All that God can ask of you is that you try your best. I'm still just trying my best! :)
 
Juk, you're a teenager. The things that I put my parents through when I was a teenager shamed me for years when I looked back on it as an adult. As a parent who now has two grown children, I can promise you that parents do not hold the things against them that their children do in their youth. All that God can ask of you is that you try your best. I'm still just trying my best! :)
Thank you for the encouragement.
 
Thank you John for a very encouraging post.

Something that helps me when i am missing my dad, is to thank God for taking such good care of him, along with my brother and other family members who are with Him. God gave me a dream one night, about my dad and brother playing by a swimming pool with two of our dogs. It gave me peace :)

Blessings!
 
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