A man given to pride is as a man lost at sea. Both desire sustentation and are destroyed by what they consume. As saltwater promises hydration and in turn destroys his body, so does the inward focus of pride destroy his soul.
May we turn to our holy and perfect Father, the only good and loving Creator, for our every thirst and need lest we unknowingly destroy ourselves. :) He is our ultimate and perfect end. May His name be praised!
In Christ, †††
-Brian Hinds
May we subsist in humble adoration of Him in His divine, undeniable, and righteous perfection!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A tribute to my father.
As I was thinking through what I wanted to say at my father's service, I was getting so bogged down with memories and feelings and just couldn't seem to get something written down. The morning of the service, I ended up remembering, that it's not what I want to say that needs to be said, but what God wants me to say. I threw my pencil and pad down and started to pray. There were so many thoughts going through my mind that week, but God reminded me of two things He had been pressing on my heart: 1. Where my Father is and 2. What he has left behind.
1. I had to think about the first for a bit until it began to sink in. It is that my father is with our Heavenly Father. There is no doubt in my mind about this. This fact has crossed my mind so often but I must never forget that it is true. Heaven is real and by the perfect life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are allowed to live with Him in paradise. Through the grace, mercy, and Love of God, that is where my father is. Any pain or suffering he had while here is gone and has received the full inheritance of sonship in Christ (Eph 1:13-14).
2. The second thing is that my father has left a legacy of love in every person that knew him or has heard his testimony. I seemed to echo the rest of my family at my father's service in mentioning a legacy of love, but it confirmed that it is true. He was a devoted son, a compassionate brother, a faithful husband, and to me and my siblings, a loving father. One thing he made clear to us kids is that he loved us unconditionally. After my Spring 08 finals finished, he decided to take me out for pizza to celebrate. This was another one of those, "don't tell mom!" sort of moments where the two of us ate a whole pizza. Haha. We went to Round Table as always and he told me how proud of me he was. To him I didn't have to be perfect for him to love me. He loved me no matter what. Through his life, he showed me how deep a father's love can be for a son and in doing so, has blessed me with a deeper understanding of what it means for my Heavenly Father to love me as well. His life echoed the life of Christ in love. I'm so glad the Lord allowed me to tell him the same thing he told me in my last words to him. I said, "Daddy, you have been the best role model that I could have ever asked for. You never once cursed God for what you have gone through, but have praised His name. You have impacted my life and even the lives of people you have never met". He kept looking at me and asked, "you think so?" I said, "I know so". He smiled at me and said, "I'm proud of you and I love you". Those are the last words he said to me.
My father is not here with us on this earth, but I can only rejoice, for he is with our Father in Heaven. In these last months, I have an extra fondness for the words of Paul "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2Tim 4:7). My dad fought indeed and by the grace of God through Christ, he too has won the race. I love my father and I, in return, can say, "I am proud of him".
-Brian Hinds
May we subsist in humble adoration of Him in His divine, undeniable, and righteous perfection.
1. I had to think about the first for a bit until it began to sink in. It is that my father is with our Heavenly Father. There is no doubt in my mind about this. This fact has crossed my mind so often but I must never forget that it is true. Heaven is real and by the perfect life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are allowed to live with Him in paradise. Through the grace, mercy, and Love of God, that is where my father is. Any pain or suffering he had while here is gone and has received the full inheritance of sonship in Christ (Eph 1:13-14).
2. The second thing is that my father has left a legacy of love in every person that knew him or has heard his testimony. I seemed to echo the rest of my family at my father's service in mentioning a legacy of love, but it confirmed that it is true. He was a devoted son, a compassionate brother, a faithful husband, and to me and my siblings, a loving father. One thing he made clear to us kids is that he loved us unconditionally. After my Spring 08 finals finished, he decided to take me out for pizza to celebrate. This was another one of those, "don't tell mom!" sort of moments where the two of us ate a whole pizza. Haha. We went to Round Table as always and he told me how proud of me he was. To him I didn't have to be perfect for him to love me. He loved me no matter what. Through his life, he showed me how deep a father's love can be for a son and in doing so, has blessed me with a deeper understanding of what it means for my Heavenly Father to love me as well. His life echoed the life of Christ in love. I'm so glad the Lord allowed me to tell him the same thing he told me in my last words to him. I said, "Daddy, you have been the best role model that I could have ever asked for. You never once cursed God for what you have gone through, but have praised His name. You have impacted my life and even the lives of people you have never met". He kept looking at me and asked, "you think so?" I said, "I know so". He smiled at me and said, "I'm proud of you and I love you". Those are the last words he said to me.
My father is not here with us on this earth, but I can only rejoice, for he is with our Father in Heaven. In these last months, I have an extra fondness for the words of Paul "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2Tim 4:7). My dad fought indeed and by the grace of God through Christ, he too has won the race. I love my father and I, in return, can say, "I am proud of him".
-Brian Hinds
May we subsist in humble adoration of Him in His divine, undeniable, and righteous perfection.
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