A Father Found

 

Dad Bartlett doing what he loved best.....working on old VW Bugs 

It was a cool October day as he sat in a quiet house with the phone in his hand.  "I can't do this!", he kept telling himself.  "I'm in my 40's, could he have written me off?", he was still arguing with himself.  It was only  just a couple of weeks ago that he'd finally gotten the last puzzle piece in his hand.  After all of those years, and with just a few pieces of information and some time spent on the internet, his wife had located his long lost father.  But it was up to him now to decide what the next move would be. She wanted him to take the plunge, but it was his decision...it just HAD to be his decision. 

Was he alive? Well, he wouldn't know until he made the call.  Would he be accepted? Well, again, he wouldn't know until he made the call.  What would he be like?  Make the call.  "What if he doesn't want me to be his son?" MAKE THE CALL....the Lord was prompting him...."trust in Me, and make the call".  "Lord, I can't do this, I just can't do it", he argued with the Lord.  "I never gave up on you, so you can't give up on him...what if I had given up on you and had not offered you salvation and redemption through my Son?", the Lord nudged harder.

"Okay Lord.  I can't do this without you."  It seemed like forever as he dialed the number.....three numbers, he hung up.  "Dial again"...the Lord was still prompting Him.  "Trust ME", the Lord was insistent.  Area code, done.  First three digits, done.  Last four digits....he did it!  The ring was almost piercing in his ear.  He could hear his heart beating in his ear.  There was a lump the size of Texas in his throat.  Was he going to answer?  OH NO.....the answering machine picked up.  How could he possibly leave a message like this on an answering machine?  

It was now or never.  He HAD to do it, answering machine or not.  "Um, hello, this is Robert Bartlett, Jr.  I'm looking for my father, Robert Bartlett, Sr.  I believe that this is the correct phone number, please call me back, I would really like to talk to you.  I will look forward to your call." He hung up.  He sat in the recliner, dazed.  Was this really the answering machine located in the house where his father lived?  Only time would tell...but the wait!  Now it was a waiting game.  A million and one thoughts raced at a million and one miles an hour through his mind.  "Jennifer, I've got to call Jennifer!  She's not going to believe this!"  His wife was on the way back from a trip that afternoon, but he couldn't wait.  

Her cell phone rang.  She was at a gas station in Louisiana, traveling home with her best friend from a trip to visit her friend's dad in the nursing home.  "Honey, I've got something to tell you", he cleared the lump in his throat.  "I just left a message on my Dad's answering machine and I'm waiting for him to call me back."  He could hear her crying on the other end of the phone.  Then he heard both she and her best friend crying....and praising the Lord....at a gas station, in the middle of Louisiana.  He promised to call her back, the minute he heard anything.  

An hour later, her cell phone rang again, and her precious husband is in tears on the other end of the phone.  "Jen, I talked to my Dad.  Jen, I TALKED TO MY DAD!  And he wants a relationship with me!  Not only did I talk to him, but today is his birthday, Jen!  I just wished my Daddy a 'happy birthday' for the first time in thirty six years!"  Her tears came out at fire hydrant speed.  She and her best friend were screaming and praising the Lord in the car, and trying not to have a wreck!  "Jen, he's coming to see us!  He has a few doctor appointments over the next two weeks, but Jen, he and his wife are getting on a plane and they're coming to see us!  Jen, I have a Dad, and he loves me.  He told me he loved me and I told him that I loved him too.  I told him that it didn't matter what had transpired through the years....I wanted him to be my Dad, regardless."

 

 Father~Son~Together

This is the story of my husband and his father, exactly as it transpired over two years ago.  The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords was honored that day.  And angels rejoiced when the most important earthly restoration occurred that day in October, when father and son wrapped their arms around each other for the first time in thirty six years.  Not only did my husband gain an earthly father, but a beautiful and most precious step mother, "Mamma Toni".  
 And if that weren't enough, Rob's sister also gained a father when we found him, and then we all gained a new brother and sister and nieces and nephews through Mamma Toni's precious family.  I remember standing in the kitchen, bathing in the love that was pouring out in abundance over my family.  And in that moment, I was brought to attention very quickly by the Lord.  He was very clear in reminding me of all of the people who think that "God has written them off", or that they are just not good enough to have a relationship with the King of Kings.  They go for years thinking that maybe one day they will have everything in order before they contact Jesus to come and save them.  Just like this beautiful reunion that took place, can you imagine the reunion that we are going to have in Heaven?  If our Heavenly Father can orchestrate a reunion of this magnitude after thirty six years of separation, HOW MANY MORE lengths will our Father go through to have a relationship with us?

God blessed our family that day.  His love was shining all around us.  He was in the   room with us....He met us there.  And because of that, it was the most joyous and praise filled reunion that could have ever taken place.  God was honored then and He continues to be honored now.  He has been merciful with Dad Bartlett's health and has gifted us with more time with him, when the doctor's may not have been so hopeful.  God is SO good, and our family will proclaim that until the Lord draws our last breath.  I'm sorry that you could not have been there as a spectator for the embrace of all embraces.  When father and son met and embraced, it was as if the world melted away.  God smiled that day.  He got the victory.  He was the great maestro that day as he led the orchestra to perfection.  

Who do you have in your life (or out of your life) that you could stand to reunite with and let those years and hard knocks just melt away in the arms of the Lord?  Our family is a living testament to this.  We believe in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and we believe that we were saved by faith in Him through the repentance of our sins.  I pray that you have a personal relationship with our sweet Lord. 

Dear Lord, on this Father's Day, we thank you for you as our Heavenly Father and the sacrifice that was made through Your Son so that we may have eternal life.  Dear Lord, we also thank you that as a married couple, we both have our parents in our lives and on this day, we thank you for the lives of our fathers.  In Jesus holy name, Amen.