As we head into Father’s day many people feel many things about their dads. On this day I feel compelled to write about my own father and our story of redemption. Most of my young life was spent wanting the attention and love he never gave. I have also wanted for some time to write about the importance of men in our lives. In my life there had been a general lack of good and Godly men to show me what it really looked like to be loved well. I had a small sampling of what men might be like and it wasn’t good. In my estimation because my father was not a good man therefore, God must not be good. But there was one man; My grandfather on my mother’s side. He was one of kind and could never be replaced. He taught me how to act like a lady, how to cook, and to take care of my things and how to love well. He also taught me to think for myself, that treasure can be found many places, to have fun with the people you do life with, and what it looked like for a man to be fully submitted and surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. He loved my grandmother and his family well. Daily he met with God, read his bible, prayed and worshiped. Daily he served his family and community.

On the flip side of that my grandfather on my father’s side was mean and drunk most of the time. To be fair his father and grandfather were both men and drunk. Nary a one of them served the Lord or knew of his goodness. They chose the pleasure’s of the world over God. They served themselves and their flesh. Their family and community suffered at their hands. My father the same. His heritage did not include the daily discipline of prayer, worship, reading of the word or meeting with God. UNTIL…

One day a tragic thing happened that changed all of that. My grandfather on my dad’s side had a massive heart attack and died but was after a time revived and brought back to life. From that moment he recalls with clarity how he was shown the truth of his life and the culmination of it. He had a radical life changing encounter with Christ and came back a changed man. He quit drinking and found a church home to attend. He read his word, prayed and tried to live out his life according to the word. Meanwhile, my father still struggled with the bondage from the generations before him. His children estranged, his life littered with broken relationships, his home a battlefield. Little did he know he was about to collide with the one true living God.

It was a Sunday. He was recovering from drinking too much the night before and was in a mood. They had gotten into a fight the night before because of his excessive use. He had hit his wife during their argument leaving the side of her face black and blue. Her cheek and eye swollen. He felt ashamed and guilty. The weight of what he had done sat on his heart. It was like a wool blanket soaked in water over the course of several days; heavy. It stunk and so did his attitude. His wife woke and prepared for church. She invited him to go with her just as she had so many times before. Just like so many times before he cussed and gave her the many excuses as to why he would never go.

Luke 15:20 “While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him”. This is such a beautiful reminder of the infinite grace of God. God didn’t wait for the son to get to him. He didn’t wait for the son to have a bath and get himself together. It says, “While the son was still a long ways off”. In other words the son was still dirty, the son hadn’t yet apologized. The son was yes walking toward the father with the intent to come home but was far from it. His intent was to be a slave in his father’s house. His father had other ideas. because even though he wasn’t prepared the father saw him, had compassion and went to him. Restoring him his rightful place.

God had been calling my father to himself for some time. His wife, Ex wife, his father and at least some of his children were saved and already following Jesus. Soon my father would too. This is the testimony as told to me by my father of what happened. That Sunday after their big row. His wife bruised face and all went to church. On her way she stopped at the local convenience store (they lived in a very small town) to get gas and something to drink. The attendant saw her and asked if she were ok; she smiled and went on her way. About an hour later my father still in a mood and bent on destruction went to the same store to purchase some beer. The attendant making small talk asked my father if he saw the woman that was just in there. My father not knowing it was his wife said “no, why?”. The attendant proceeded to describe how this beautiful lady had come in and the condition of her face. He described how in spite of this she was incredibly kind and gracious and how he would like to get his hands on the man who did that to her. He said the man was a coward and should be strung up.

My father realizing it was his wife the attendant was talking about, hung his head in shame and with the sting of conviction from Holy Spirit sat his beer on the counter and walked out. He drove to the church, walked in and walked the aisle to the alter; that day he repented of his sin, gave his life to Christ and never looked back. God in his in unending love met my father there and delivered him from his alcoholism. There on the alter my father traded anger for peace, shame for honor, In the days and weeks, months and years ahead; God began the redemptive work to repair and rebuild my father’s life. God’s love restored his family and create a lasting heritage of service to the Lord. My father attended church, served his family, and also served his community and God faithfully until his end.

It was during that time towards the end that the redemptive hand of Jesus gave me a chance to know that man. I had struggled to believe God was good because man was not; even though I had the most excellent example of my mother’s father, it just never felt like it was enough to fill the ache in my own heart from not having my father present and caring for me himself. But, a loving God orchestrated a moment in time with my father who told me how he had always loved me but was just too afraid to show it. How he had wanted to reach out, wanted a relationship but thought I would reject him because of what he had done to my mother and his abandonment of me and my brother. My father soon found out, that moment in time orchestrated by our loving God; was an answer to a prayer prayed by me long long ago. It was also a healing of my broken heart towards men and towards my heavenly Father. Because my father surrendered his heart, gave his life to Christ and began to walk that out I was able to see the change in the man and believe God was good too.

Copyright©2026 Melanie McKinley (The Salty Pen & Press).  All Rights Reserved