Winner Takes All

Gems, there is so much I want to share with you and my mind is racing so I pray you will be able to follow me. I would like you to take a journey back in time with me so some of these events you will remember from past jewels. It began about a year ago when the Lord told me to honor my father and mother. As you know from that jewel that was tough for me but if there’s one thing I know about God, obedience is key. His word says obedience is the sacrifice and I want to take every opportunity I can to make a sacrifice for God. Over the next year and a half the Lord took me out of the work place, through obedience I learned how faithful God is to provide for His children. Again obedience was key to this situation as well. I need to remind you jewels, just because I said I did it does not mean it was easy.
OK fast forward to about 6 months ago when the Lord told me to move to Tampa. As you know at first I did not understand this request and I’ll remind you some of the reasons why. I would have to leave my 17 year old son behind his senior year in high school. He is with his father but I don’t get to see him very often which leaves a void in my heart not to mention at times mommy guilt. I would be moving 2 hours away from my daughter, son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. We use to live 2 houses apart so this was a HUGE adjustment. I would have to be away from my youngest daughter for longer periods of time and deal with an ex-husband that doesn’t handle compromise very well. I was also moving in with a couple I hardly knew to a town where I had no friends. Now that you are up to date I need to remind you it was all about obedience.
I have already seen many reasons why I’m here and met some of the people the Lord has asked me to minister to but tonight a huge part of the Lord’s plan was revealed to me.
My father has been in and out of the hospital the past few months and most of the burden/responsibility has been on me. My parent’s home is about an hour and a half away from mine but my father was recently transferred to the VA Hospital. Where is that you ask…. Tampa. To be honest at first I felt it was yet another thing on my plate that I would have to deal with because he was now about a 20 min. ride from where I live. I went to the hospital the first few times to the usual scene of my father’s hateful yelling and all the drama with my mother. Trips back and forth to Davenport trying to get power of attorney papers and banking needs in order are just a few of the things I have been dealing with. Of course my father has still not agreed to sign these papers making my life that much more difficult. I’m going to get really honest here with you gems, as far as I was concerned my father was a huge pain in the ass and I was really done with him. The ONLY reason I was going to continue was because of Jesus’ words to me to honor my father and mother.
A couple of days ago my friend Cathy told me she felt in her Spirit like she should ask me if my dad had a relationship with the Lord and about my relationship with him. I told her I had come to terms with my non relationship with my father years ago. I also remembered a long time ago my mother telling me a Pastor came by their house and my father prayed to receive Christ. No sooner had I said those words I heard the Lord say “And you shall know my children by their fruit.” I had NEVER seen any fruit in my father’s life but pushed the thought out of my mind.
I knew I should go to the hospital after work today because there is a chance my father will be transferred back to a hospital in Haines City for rehab and there was no excuse for me not to. I had a long day at work and was already tired so I planned on doing my obligation and heading home quick. Of course the Lord had other plans. I walked in the room and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. My father was lying there asleep and he looked so helpless. We were there alone for the first time without my mother or any other visitors. For the first time in months I was seeing my father, the man and not the responsibility. I don’t know if that makes sense. I suddenly realized how frail he was, he was so thin and small. Who was this man? A flood of emotion came over me as I walked over and touched his hair. I ran my hand over his head like a mother does with a sick child. I had never touched my dad like that before. My heart is pounding just seeing it again in my mind. He woke up slowly then asked if my mother was with me, when I said no he seemed surprised that I was there. As I stood there I realized I was the one the Lord chose to care for my father. Me of all the children, the one he seemed to dislike the most. It was awkward at first and then he said he was hungry. I pointed to the food tray that must have come in while he was sleeping. I walked over and cut up his food and he asked me to make his tea for him. My dad is a huge tea drinker one of the things he has passed onto me. I knew exactly how he wanted it after years of watching him make it. I got a chair and sat down near the bed but before long I was sitting on the bed next to him. The Lord was moving and I was just in the flow of it having no idea where we were going. All of a sudden in a loud voice, because my father is close to deaf, I heard these words came out of my mouth, “dad, have you given your life to Jesus?”
I was just as surprised as he was and I immediately felt weird wondering how many people heard me yelling about Jesus. It all happened so fast and I certainly wasn’t ready for what happened next. I saw a tear slowly slide down my father‘s cheek and the eyes that once looked at me with such contempt were now filled with pain and fear. It was like the whole world and all its craziness stopped for a moment. He said it was too hard to talk about and I told him it was too important not to talk about. At that point I didn’t care who heard me. I would scream from the rooftop if I had to. I asked him if he wanted me to pray with him and he said no, he would have to meditate on it for a while. He told me he was worried about “us kids” as he put it. My dad was worried about us? The conversation went on from there. It was one of the most precious times in my life, a time I never thought would happen. I waited a while then asked him again and this time he said yes. I sat on that hospital bed and led my father to the Lord.
I looked over at the night table and there was a deck of cards there, I asked my dad if he wanted to play. We sat there for over an hour playing cards. Me and my dad playing cards!! We played till he was tired then he laid his head down on his pillow. I asked him if he wanted me to leave and he yelled “I don’t care” I smiled and said “yes you do” and for the first time I knew he did care. I shut off the light as my father curled up to a fetal position. I sat with him for a while then kissed him on the head and left.
As I was driving home thanking God for what He did He gave me the name for the jewel. You see God dealt the cards, He asked me to play the hand He gave me knowing down the road I would be in Tampa right where He needed me when my father arrived ready to give his life to Jesus. He allowed me to be the one to do it and I cannot put into words the emotions I’m having tonight.
So my gems whatever you have been through or are going thru whether it makes sense or not be obedient to what God asks you to do because in this game the winner takes all.

Gena’s jewels