Month: June 2019

…quickly fly the years, one season following another, laden with happiness and tears… So go the lyrics to the wonderful song of yesteryear by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. What makes the song so especially memorable is the fact that it’s true; our days seem to whiz by at record speed. On a day much like today, June 26, 1988, my dad, Abraham Cruz Sr. took his last breaths. He was 76 years old. A very serious-looking man he was. Inside, however, he was funny; always cracking jokes. He had a big heart, couldn’t bare to see someone going through a tough time. Couldn’t stand to see someone go without food, clothing, or basic home necessities without doing something to help the person out.

On his dying bed, he had been in a coma for several days before I arrived with my youngest brother, Nelson. Our flight there was most interesting: We knew our dad needed to give his heart to Jesus. We prayed a lot on our way there. To begin with, after being dropped off at the airport we learned it was the wrong terminal or something like that. I know we had to drag our suitcases over grass and climb over fences just to reach the right place on time for our flight.

Shortly after takeoff, I noticed on the small TV screen behind the seat in front of me that the mileage was decreasing, meaning we were returning to the airport. An engine had died. While we waited for an hour, then two, then four, then six and all throughout the flight, there were two men, drunk beyond sense, who kept cracking jokes about the plane going straight down into the waters and how they could see the sharks just waiting to feast on us! They definitely did not help anyone on board!

Hardships aside, we landed in Puerto Rico at 3:45 a.m. and went straight to see our dad. We were told that as soon as we walked into the room and he heard our voices, he came out of the coma. We didn’t know he’d been in one, much less that he was being fed through tubes. He called our names. We spoke together, he removed all his tubes, and we even fed him. While I prayed for him, Nelson led him through the sinner’s prayer to repentance. He shed tears as he asked God for forgiveness and into his heart! Days later, he was gone.

Last week and 31 years later, our oldest brother, Abraham Jr. passed away after having been in a coma for several days. He was 77 years old. Like his dad, Jr. was also serious-looking on the outside, funny on the inside, and a very caring person. Family always came first for him. He did what he could to keep them close at bay. Unfortunately, as the song above goes, our sunrises quickly turn to sunsets. Jr., a weightlifter in his youth, now laid aside every weight as he took his final breath on June 18.

Scripture tells us in James 4:14 b “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes.” Regardless of whether we’re a boxer, a weightlifter, of even the fastest runner on earth, our lives are at best, a dash, a sprint; a short step to the finish line and then we’re off to eternity.

Fortunately, Jesus is the only person to go beyond that finish line and returned to tell us about it. When you reach your final race, when you take your last puffs of air, if Jesus is your savior, He’ll be at the other side with rewards to bestow upon you ( Revelations 22:12 tells us: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”).

While both Abrahams are gone, we’ll always treasure their memories, their stories, their joys of life, their challenges and their triumphs as well as their characters in our hearts. Before your last vapor, before you fall into a coma or how ever you may go, you may want to invite Him into your heart. Reap rewards in heaven for your work for Him on earth. Today is your best bet. Go for it. God Bless You.

Both Abrahams shared a special corner for their granddaughters:

Abraham Sr. with my daughters

Abraham Jr. with his granddaughters

Not all of us have had fathers matching those on sitcom shows where we ended up with an ice cream or a Life Saver candy after messing up an event or flunking a class, etc.  We may not have always received a pat on the back as an act of confirmation; maybe a pat across somewhere else, if you know what I mean. Relating to our earthly dads can sometimes be difficult. As a result, understanding our heavenly Father can be a hang-up or a challenge for many of us since the closest to Him might be, or have been, an abusive dad or someone who fell short of our definition (or God’s, for that matter) of what a loving dad ought to be. 

    Granted, not all dads fall short of loving their kids. They don’t all break their promises.  It’s a fact that being a loving and caring father requires lots of work, dedication, planning, and love. There are many kids out there growing up without a dad; without a male figure to relate to; without a friend with whom they can go camping with, fish with, shoot some baskets with, talk about life issues with, or wrestle across the floor with.

Back in New York, I once read about some famous man who gave his son the best gift he could afford to give: he dedicated something like one hour a day to spending time with him.  I remember thinking I’d go nuts if I gave an hour a day, each day to each of my three kids!  I decided to modify that.  Once a week, I’d give each child thirty minutes.  We’d begin with a prayer, discuss bible teachings, cover school/home situations, and then we’d wrestle!  We would have lots of fun rolling all over the floor, bopping each other over the head with pillows, etc. As the kids grew, we’d play basketball outside.  Then came boyfriends and what to do in the future. We’d have lots of family meetings where we’d agree to change the way things were done or how to improve things. The bottom line was that the kids knew their father was always present in their lives.  He took time to get to know their joys and hurts. This dad was an integral part of his kids’ lives.

Only you know where you are right now in life.  Only you know the joys and/or hardships of having had or not having had a father in your life.  You might be someone’s Lil’ boy or some dad’s Lil’ girl. It might be that’s it’s been a while since you last saw or spoke to him. Maybe you burned all those bridges behind you years ago and have never looked back.  Deep, deep inside, you’re still his little child.  He still yearns to hold you close.  I know every time I see my son, my 38 yr old son, I hug him and kiss him on the cheek.  He’s still that little boy in a crib playing hide-&-go-seek.  Despite of all types of hardships, family relationships are most important in my life. 

This morning at 5:28 a.m. our youngest daughter called me from Jerusalem to wish me a happy Father’s Day.  That was nice. Back in our wrestling days, she was the one beating the daylights out of me.  Glad she wasn’t close enough to whack me out today at age 35!  But that’s life.  Reach out to your father if possible.  Forgive him if that’s what’s needed. Let him know he’s appreciated. Love him.  If he’s long-gone, honor his memory.  Think of your heavenly Father and how He’s always there holding you in His arms in the spiritual realm.  He longs to hear your stories.  He longs to know what things you wrestle with. He makes himself available to you not for thirty minutes, but all the time you need.

 This afternoon my wife shared with me how at age 14 she wished she had a dad.  Her sisters had one, but hers had left a long time ago.  As she cried out to God wanting to know why she didn’t have one like they did, she felt Him embrace her and tell her, “I am your dad.”  Tears swelled in her eyes back then just like they did today decades later, recalling His embrace, His care, His tender mercies towards her, and His commitment to staying by her side all these years. Our heavenly Father makes no distinction of persons. He loves us all the same and gave His Son Jesus to lay His life for us that we may be called children of God.  Happy Father’s Day!