When I was asked to write
something for Dad’s funeral, lots of memories came to mind. You each have a
different memory of dad, and I’m glad you knew him and have those memories.
Those memories are what we will hold on to for the rest of our lives.
As I thought about dad, a
few lessons he taught me came to mind, but I wasn’t sure which I should
include. He had a long life and so I can’t speak about everything. I prayed and
asked God to tell me what He wanted me to share with you on this day. God reminded
me of a phone conversation I had with Dad earlier this year. I have mulled that
over for a day, and it seems like the memory that would serve well for this time.
Earlier this year, my phone
rang, I looked at the caller ID and noticed it was dad. So, I answered the
phone and here’s how the conversation went.
Me: “Hello, this is Gail.”
Dad: “This is your dad.”
Me: “Hi dad; how are things
going?”
Dad: “Oh, fair. When are you
coming home?”
We spent a while shooting
the breeze even while he had a hard time catching a deep breath. Finally, we
arrived at what I think was his purpose for calling me.
Dad: “God called me to be a
preacher. I didn’t do it. I think these past 18 years have been His punishment
on me.”
<Pause>
Me: “Dad, I think it was
God’s grace that gave you these 18 years, so you could come back to a close
relationship with Him.”
<Silence>
We then spoke about
unessential fluff things. After that, we said good bye.
Dad never talked about his
calling to the ministry before, or ever again. I truly think these 18 years of
being frail was God’s gift to dad because of His love and grace.
God gives each of us freedom
to choose-either Him and His will, or our own ways. Dad chose to make his own
way and be his own man. Many people do that. I think he was trying to prove
something to himself, and to other people, to an extent. Don’t we all do that?
We all want to make our own way and prove something to the world-that we are
important and should be regarded highly.
During that time of choosing
to live our own way, God asks each of us what dad asked me in every phone call,
“When are you coming home?” Dad never stopped asking. God never stops asking.
We all sin, and He calls to each of us to come home, come back to Him. God kept
calling dad, too. He was a sinner just like us. His sins may have been
different that yours or mine, but we each are sinners.
What dad didn’t seem to
understand, and the reason he kept asking me to come home, is that I didn’t
know when God would tell us to return to America. We chose to answer His
calling upon our lives to go to South Africa and tell people about Him. If we are
going to be faithful, we also must choose to continue to follow Him whether
it’s staying here or going to some other place. What dad didn’t understand, and
what we have come to understand is wherever God puts us is home because we are
at home with God in that place.
“When are you coming home?”
Dad asked. My answer was always, “When God tells us to go back to America.” It
should have been, “We are home already because God is here with us in the place
to which He called us.”
God called to dad throughout
his life and said, “When are you coming home?” It took Dad’s frail health for
him to return to God, to return to the God he knew as a young man and to Him
who called him to serve Him in ministry. God called to Him. He never let him
stray far. God wanted that close relationship with dad again. It was precious
to Him; Dad was precious to Him.
God calls to each of us,
“When are you coming home?”
Will you turn around today
and run back to Him? Dad ran into God’s arms last Thursday and God said,
“Welcome home, my son.” Dad didn’t become a minister; but God welcomed him home
because he was His son. God waits to welcome you home, too. Will you hear Him
today and choose to return to Him?
“Welcome
home, Dad!”
(For Bob Ray Suratt’s Funeral, August 16, 2018; died
August 9, 2018)
