Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
What comes to mind when you think about your father? Is it joy, pain, or indifference? Whatever it is, it can reveal deeper wounds that still affect you today. In this journey of healing, Zach Garza invites you to explore topics like generational sin, emotional scars, and the transformative power of forgiveness through the lens of his own story of growing up without a father in the home. By confronting the past, you'll discover how to break free, embrace your true identity, and experience the unconditional love of God.
Chapter 24, legacy. Chapter 24, legacy. My grandmother. My grandmother was one of the most important people in my life. In fact, she and my grandfather were like second parents to me.
Speaker 1:After my grandfather passed and as she grew older, she developed dementia, and we had to place her in a nursing home for her to receive the care that she needed. I go see her once a week to make sure she was doing okay and keep her company. It was hard to see her in her weakened condition in which she could hardly communicate, but it was good to be with her, no less. She knew the end of her life was nearing. She gathered her family and just wanted to be with us.
Speaker 1:She couldn't speak, so we did all the talking. My mom told stories about her growing up. The grandkids told memories of spending weeks at grandma's house during the summer. We talked about chocolate chip cookies and peach cobbler. We laughed as we remembered my grandfather's idiosyncrasies and his sly smile.
Speaker 1:As time went on, we talked about the Lord and what a dedicated follower of Jesus my grandmother was. We sang hymns and discussed the Bible. We spoke of the important things in life, of faith and family. When you're old and nearing the end of your life, what are the things you will care about? When you're lying on your deathbed, will you be talking about things or you when you are lying on your deathbed, will you be talking about things or will you be talking about people?
Speaker 1:Will your focus be on your bank account or on your character and your legacy? Let those same things be a top priority for you now, your family, your spouse, and kids, your faith, your family, your spouse and kids, and your faith. The Lord can rewrite your story and create in you someone who takes a generational curse and turns it into a generational blessing. Who will you want around your bed? Who will you want around your bed?
Speaker 1:For me, it's my wife, my children, and maybe a few key family members and friends. We will speak of memories, of love, and of adventures. The only question I will care about the only questions I will care about are, Lord Jesus, are you proud of how I lived my life for you? Is my wife proud of me in which she marry me again if she had to do it all over again? Do my sons wanna be like me, and does my daughter wanna marry someone like me?
Speaker 1:What will your obituary say? What kinds of stories will people share at your funeral? Who will be at your funeral? Will they talk about your heart or your accomplishments? Did you make the world a brighter place?
Speaker 1:Did others experience the love of Jesus through your words and actions? My final charge to you is to allow God to father you. Come to me, Jesus says, and I will give you rest. So go to him. Let God the father do what he does best.
Speaker 1:Let go of control and let him take over. After all, change comes from him, not necessarily from our efforts. The journey of allowing God to father you is one of patience, endurance, and perseverance. Give yourself plenty of grace as you take one step at a time. You will fall down, but the good shepherd will be there to pick you up.
Speaker 1:Friends and mentors will be there as you grow in forgiveness and change how you see yourself. God, and others. Friends and mentors will be there as you grow in forgiveness and change how you see yourself, God, and others. Whatever you do, don't give up. The lifelong journey will be worth it.
Speaker 1:Everything you need comes from the father. It's not reliance on you, but dependence on him. Go to the father. Surround yourself with people who can help you do that. Sit in his presence and allow yourself to be loved and led by the one who loves you.
Speaker 1:Daily shed all aspects of your orphan nature and remind yourself that you are son. Sit at your father's table. Come as you are. Healing your father wound is not a onetime action but a moment by moment trek. Some days will be easy.
Speaker 1:Others will be harder, but you will not be alone. You may have had to grow up not knowing the love of a father. You may have been alone and hurt by those who should have loved you most. Your story doesn't have to be the story of your child. Your story doesn't have to be the story of your children.
Speaker 1:Your children will never know a day when their father wasn't for them. Your spouse will say that you are the best person they know. Jesus will say, well done, good and faithful servant. You can become what you never had, and it can start today. So tell me, picture yourself in your eighties knowing that your time has come.
Speaker 1:You are nearing the end of the race, and you have a few days to reflect upon the life that you have lived. Who are you spending your last days with? What will you be talking about? Pretend that your time has come and you have finished your race. Who would you like to speak at your funeral?
Speaker 1:Your spouse? Your children? What would you like for them to say? Take a few moment and write the eulogies that you'd like for your loved ones to read.