 Three years ago, I got a front-row seat to a modern-day miracle.
August 11th had always been memorable because it’s Aunt Polly’s birthday … and it was the day in 2000 when I had a large benign tumor removed. But August 11, 2021 … was a day unlike any other August 11 before or since. I got to see Dad that day … and he was different. Dad was repentant and dying. He was trapped in a broken body with a mind that was plagued by his past. I watched God completely break Dad. It took 6 years of his complicated ongoing medical issues to break him, but God broke this once-monster of a man … in order to make him new. In the breaking of James Roderick Dickson, my father, God made him a masterpiece for His glory! And although I long to see his face again on this earth ... to talk about Jesus, to talk about music and photography and life today ... and while there is grief, it is mixed with joy and peace because Dad is with Jesus. Healthy, whole, restored. On August 11, 2021, a hellatious past was forgiven … and in the heartache of knowing these were our final weeks, there was amazing grace! Grace to endure. To love. To forgive. And to protect him … his life … and his story. In the eyes of most, Dad had little to no value because of the choices he made throughout his life. But to the One who ordained his very days … to the One who created him, Dad had the same intrinsic value as faith heroes like Polycarp, Augustine, Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot, and Billy Graham. HOW DO I SAY THAT WITH CONFIDENCE? Because the same God who made these faith heroes is the same God who made my father. The same God who created these faith heroes in His image also made my father in His image … Jesus died for Dad … just as He did for you and for me 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” And as the LORD did what only He could do in Dad’s life, I was given the best gift I could ask for … although I only had this transformed Dad for 3 months & 3 days, I am eternally thankful for the promise of Heaven … the place with no goodbyes. I can say that I am thankful for a journey that threw me at the feet of Jesus every step of the way. While I wouldn’t wish my journey on another human being – friend or foe – I am thankful that the LORD is sovereign & is using the tragedy of trauma for the good of me, my father, & others … and He is using it for His eternal glory! Some have tried to silence me in telling our story, but I will continue to share it. Until I am with my father again … at the feet of OUR Jesus, I will share it. Whether it’s through our book, An Ugly Kind of Beautiful, or through a speaking engagement or a one-on-one conversation, may Jesus alone receive the greatest honor and glory! FOR HE ALONE IS WORTHY! SDG! |
