Dad's Got This

Words have the power to impact a life. The Bible says,

“The tongue has the power of life and death,…”

Proverbs 18:1

Words can remove fear, carry hope, and help one readjust their wayward path.

I grew up in a very small house in Burton, Michigan. My five member family seemed to function very well within the 750 square feet. We didn't know that outside our cozy world that some families lived where each child had their own room and there were even multiple bathrooms all within one house.

As my sister, brother and I began to get bigger, the bedroom situation became snug so my dad made a bedroom for my brother and I downstairs in the basement. We were so excited. The room was finally finished and it was going to be a great adventure for us to be in the basement. The floor had a vinyl covering and a few large rugs were positioned on the floor between the beds. The walls were done in paneling and there was a white drop ceiling.

It was the dream of every young boy in my neighborhood to have their own bedroom downstairs. I was so excited the day we moved our belongings in. The beds, dressers, model airplanes and toys were all carefully arranged. It was all perfect, until nighttime. Once the lights were turned off that amazing bedroom became very dark. These were the days before nightlights or soothing sounds of the oceans coming from a sound machine. It was dark and scary with all kinds of creepy sounds.

To complicate matters, my brother had chosen to spend this first night in our new bedroom at a friend’s house which left me the honor of breaking in the first night alone. I laid in the bed with the covers up to my ears until I finally surrendered to my fears. I flew out of that bed and tore up the stairs like something was in hot pursuit. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my dad sitting at the table.

One look at my face told it all.

My father asked a question he already had the answer to, "Is everything alright?”

At the sound of his voice, the water works began and through my tears I told him, "Dad, its dark down there and the sounds, creepy sounds that never stop."

He smiled and assured me that he would be awake long after I fell asleep and he promised me that nothing would get by him to me because he wasn't going anywhere. I’m not sure why but those words settled the issue for me. They silence my fear. I returned to bed and immediately the darkness pressed in and the creepy sounds filled my room. I pulled my covers up tight around my neck and smiled as I whispered, “Nothings getting by my Dad. He's got this.” The power of my father's words and the safety he projected to a fearful little boy still resonate with me today.

My father has been gone now for 18-years but the assurance that nothing was getting by my Dad, still impacts my life today. The principle is the same with our Heavenly Father. When I’m fearful or scared of circumstances and things that are out of my control, I simply turn to God’s Word. His Word brings assurance and peace and no matter how hard the trial may be I can close my eyes at night and say, “Dad’s got this one.”