Part 8-Because He Lives - Dad. Louis E. Kok, February 18, 1929 to January 27, 2017

Because He Lives, by Bill Gaither 

Chorus:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

This chorus started ringing in my mind as soon as my father died. It's not a hymn that we sing very often in my tradition, but I sing it still, over and over again all day every day. I don't even know the words to the verses, although I have since found them and we sang them at the funeral service, but it's the words of this chorus that come to me all the time.

I've been wondering why. Why do I keep hearing and meditating on these words? Why are they in my heart? One reason must be, I believe, because as soon as my dad died I did wonder how I would face tomorrow, how life would still be worth the living. 

I don't see my dad (I just realized I should have written "I didn't see my dad...") every day. I didn't even talk to him every day. We lived hundreds of miles away, and we have for decades and decades. But Dad is so important to me. He's my rock. (I probably should've written "He was important...my rock," but you know what, I still feel like he is.)

So these words give me comfort. I can face tomorrow, and life is still worth living, even without Dad, because Jesus lives.