Author: Monica Robles-Lopez
January 20, 1982 is a very significant day for my whole family because it is the day that changed the entire direction and destiny of our lives. It is the day that my dad said YES and gave his life to Jesus Christ.
I remember that year so vividly. You see, at this time in 1982, I had just turned 8 years old and was halfway through 2nd grade. Life was simple for me on the surface with my older 10-year old brother, my 4 year old sister, and my baby brother who would turn 2 in just 2 more days. I had good parents who I knew loved me. But as you dug deeper, you would see there was a whole lot more to the bigger picture. My family was actually falling apart. My dad was about to lose his career, his wife, his kids, most likely even his home through divorce. There was so much brokenness in my family. My family was crumbling, and I was most likely going to lose my dad for good. He wasn’t the type of person who I could see being in our lives much if they had gotten divorced. I later found out that he was also about to lose his job. His life was quickly spiraling downhill.
He was raised in a Christian home with very God-fearing and humble parents. Dad was the rebellious one who went his own path once he was able to. But he learned none of his bad habits from his parents. Even in this darkest moment in his life, he remembered what he had been taught at home and decided to give God a chance.
On that Wednesday, January 20, he made a last resort attempt and tried out church. We all went to church that night….I still remember the little pink building and the smell when walking in. No one knew we were going to be there that night, yet every song and every word spoken in the sermon seemed to be directed at my dad. It was a divine appointment made by God, and that night, as he knelt by the pew at church(he didn’t even make it to the altar), he surrendered his broken life to Jesus Christ, and he was forever changed!
And from that day on, I never saw my dad the same again. He was born again and began a new life as a totally new creation.
My dad has become the most humble, most forgiving, most loving, most giving, and wisest man I know. He truly is my hero here on earth. And while I don’t uplift him, I do see Jesus living in him, and he is the closest that I will ever see of Jesus while we live here on earth. God completely and totally transformed his life. I was just so fortunate and blessed to be a part of this beautiful story. My life could have taken a totally different path. But by God’s grace and mercy, He changed the destiny of our family.
Last January 20, 2020, he preached a sermon that he had preached 8 years ago, and it was titled, “If This Was My Last Sermon.” It was so emotional as he addressed the different points of his life from before and after the dramatic transformation that took place in his life 38 years ago today. And what I love is that Dad is always very transparent about his failures as a father and a husband, even after becoming a Christian. He went from being negligent of his family because he was caught up with work, baseball, friends, and drinking….to now being caught up with church, church, church. Throughout the years, I resented how much time he spent at the church because I felt like they were more important to him than his family. Now as we are all fully grown, he has realized where he went wrong, and he does try to make up for it. Unfortunately, we can never gain that time back. But it taught me a big lesson – and that is my family is my first ministry. As much as I love serving Christ through church ministry, that will never come before my family. And for those who are actively in my life – you will know that when we have family time, actual steam comes out of my ears if my dad answers his phone LOL!! But seriously, my time with my parents is priceless and precious, because we had so little of that quality time growing up.
I am beyond blessed and thankful that my dad gave his life to Christ that day. Because of that decision, my parents didn’t get the divorce that was in process, and my dad became a changed man. Our lives were all changed, and now the legacy that he leaves behind has been altered. He has reached thousands of people and led them to the Kingdom of Jesus!
My family is a work in progress. Even with this amazing story, it doesn’t mean that our family is free from problems. In fact, the devil hits us even harder because he knows that my dad’s family is his kryptonite…his weakness…his unconditional love. But even through the struggles we face as a family, I am beyond grateful for the detour that our path took on that Wednesday, January 20, 1982. I know that my dad’s legacy is his family. And while we have all brought hurt and shame to my parents at some point in life, we have never forgotten our roots and our foundation of a Christ-centered home.
People in his past used to always want him to have their back because they knew they could trust him to defend them and put up a fight for them. Well now people want him to have their back because he can put up the best fight ever – on his knees in prayer!
What a blessed 39 years for you Dad! I pray there are still many more and that you haven’t preached your last sermon yet because I’m not ready to let you go.
FindJoy 