August is here and with this month it marks the closing of swimming pools all around our city. It also marks the opening of schools all over this city for our kids! Such is life. One day we start this journey called life in the arms of our mother. Then when death comes we leave this world in the arms of our heavenly Father and go to the place he has prepared for us in heaven. To that end I dedicate this letter to my Dad, Charles Austin, who went home July 20th. We will miss him.
I met Charles Austin in the year of 1976. Disco was king and bell bottoms were in. I hear the bell bottoms are coming back, but we who rocked them in the 70’s are smart enough to say no thank you now to even the idea of wearing them. In 1976 my mom was recovering from a divorce three years earlier and Charles had lost his first wife, Shirley. God brought the two of them together and they were married for 43 years. Shortly after they were married my mom came to me and asked me to call Charles “Dad”. I thought to myself, “I don’t even know this guy and my real dad left us.” I was not ready to open myself to that kind of hurt again. I mean how can I trust him, would he end up leaving us too? However, out of respect and love for my mom I called him “Dad”. It was easy because while I was calling him “Dad” at home, on the inside he was still “Step dad” to me. I was like that girl that was told to sit down in the back seat of the car. She did, but all along on the ride to their destination on the inside she was still standing tall. That was me; outwardly I called him dad, but inwardly he was still “Step dad”. Very soon though, Charles began to love me and do dad things with me. He came along with me to purchase my first car; a 1966 Chevy Malibu. Then he taught me how to change the oil in it. He even taught me how to tie a necktie. My senior year he let me drive his brand new Ford Thunderbird to my prom. The Bible says in 1 John 4: 18 “We love him because he first loved us”, that is what was happening in my life with my step dad. You see the first one in a relationship to show love and to say “I love you” takes all the risks. We’ve all seen that movie where a couple are hanging out and enjoying each others company, then one of them slips and spurts out “I love you,” and the other one just looks back at them with a blank stare. That’s what God did for us at the cross. He extended his hands and allowed Roman guards to nail him there to die for all our sins. If that doesn’t scream, “I love you,” I don’t know what does. “We love him because he first loved us”. My step dad did dad things with me; and no doubt, loving me at first because of his love for my mom. However, one day I noticed he was doing it because of his love for me. “We love him because he first loved us”. When I finally realized that fact, he became, “My Dad”; the “step” before his title had forever been erased. He was now simply just …..Dad. This man showed me a father’s love unconditionally so I could be free to show him a son’s love in return. God loves us. Will you put down your fears and embrace your heavenly Dad today?