It was two years ago today (as I write this on 2/6/2025) that my sister and I sat beside our Dad as I softly sang (a capella) “Daddy’s Little Girl(s)…” and he breathed his last.
A moving moment indeed. One that has surely been echoed in many other lives over the past few years.
It’s so very important that we do not allow our personal struggles and sorrows to result in bitterness, unforgiveness and regret.
Hopefully, the things I share here can help alleviate some of that, if you also have life experiences that challenge your ongoing joy and hope.
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10:
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
Some who have been with me for a while will already know much of my story.
I’m sharing this part of it now, mostly for those who have never heard it, but also because 20/20 hindsight can really shed extra light on a subject.
Manna From My Father’s Hand
This will be an overview, since much of my story was shared a few months after our Dad passed away.
In fact, it was largely the experiences leading up to the end of his life that prompted me to begin the “Manna From My Father’s Hand” blog in the first place, and later the podcast as well.
The first eight blog posts actually recounted the whole story.
I plan to re-post those stories here in coming weeks, for those who have never heard.
Back then, the prevailing attitude to these types of stories was primarily dismissal and belittling.
Over the ensuing years though, such stories seems to have become increasingly (and sadly) common.
Yes, our father was elderly.
Yes, the death-rate is 100%.
Yes, the Lord is in control and not even a sparrow falls to the ground against His will.
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
(Matthew 10:28-31)
Something seemed “off” in the circumstances and quickness of his death though….
And a whole lot of other deaths seem to have been “hastened” as well over the past few years.
If that last sentence resonated with you, if it made you recall someone who is now absent in your life, because of what transpired in these past few years, or if you have loved ones that struggle to this day with random “very rare” illnesses and disabilities that have changed their lives forever …
I’m talkin’ to you.
Finishing Well
Many Bible verses speak in terms of “finishing well”, winning the race, etc. 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1, Galatians 6:9 and 1 Corinthians 9:24 to name a few. Philippians 3:14 especially resounds in this respect:
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
And in Hebrews 12:15 it says,
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”.
A lot of truth is being told now about things that happened over these past several years.
Still though, it is likely that some of what I write or speak in this episode’s blog post, article or podcast may be squashed by computer programs that scan for certain topics to keep them from being shared or discussed openly.
It’s uncanny how “liking” or “commenting” on certain topics will suddenly cause my engagement on social media to go way down.
Maybe it’s because out of the blue my friends and colleagues don’t like what I’m saying.
Or is it that they’re not being SHOWN what I’m saying?
Still to this day this silencing seems to be lurking under the surface. At least for now….
Truth Be Told
As things become more apparent, as our awareness increases and we realize that we were misled, that our best intentions resulted in us causing ourselves or those we love irreparable harm, it becomes increasingly important to stay CLOSE to Jesus, NOT to lose heart, to encourage each other, to learn from our mistakes, and to walk in forgiveness.
Light in the Darkness
I am SO THANKFUL that the Light is finally exposing the dark, and that glimmers of “justice being done” are beginning to brighten the horizon.
For the sanity of our own hearts, we must remember Paul’s words in Romans 12:19,
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
I yearn and pray that the Light of the Lord will continue to expose those who have done evil deeds under the cover of darkness.
One of the major reasons that I wrote those first few blog posts was that there seemed to be NOWHERE to express the grief and dismay carried in my heart.
It was so good to get my Dad’s story out and speak the truth (at least as far as I could see it from my human vantage point).
I knew that the charged emotions had to be OUT of my heart and onto “paper”, well, not really paper I guess, but you get the point!
They couldn’t be allowed to fester and cause bitterness.
Those challenging times needed to bear FRUIT in built character, wisdom, resilience and compassion.
Changed Life
These past few years have changed my life in so many ways (probably along with yours as well).
Romans 8:28 has held true–that He has caused all these things to work together in His amazing and mysterious way.
He continues to glorify His name and watch over His flock.
Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20 have proven true, that what the evil one intended for evil, God intended for good.
My career has taken a huge turn because I resisted the world’s idea of what was “safe and effective”, and stayed with the One who truly IS Safe, Effective, Pure and True … Jesus Christ.
Now, two years after my father’s passing, it is still on my heart to encourage those who have gone through similar things.
As I share my father’s story over the coming weeks on social media, or if you go back and read the first entries of my blog,
***if the story is echoing your own,
***and you could use a listening ear,
***if you could use some fellowship with like-minded believers in Christ,
***if you need prayer to help you steer clear of bitterness,
***if you find yourself needing to even forgive God for allowing this in your life,
please either DM me, leave a comment or email me directly (Lisapro@shiningriver.com) with this phrase: FINISHING-WELL and I will get you information about a private group that I’ve been praying about forming (according to His will, of course).
At the very LEAST, you will have my prayers.
If there is enough need and interest, I trust that Jesus will continue to lead me in my part of His way of meeting those needs for you.
Be sure to keep watch for my upcoming re-posts of my father’s story in the coming weeks.
I pray that you will be encouraged in whatever trials you are enduring.
God bless you and yours, my friend.
P.S.–I am also sharing this story on my Podcast, and I’ll put a link below. It may take it a while to show up in the feed, since it is a new post.
Lisa Prokopowitz is a Christian Singer/Songwriter, Podcaster and Blogger who seeks to lift up the name of Jesus and draw hungry hearts unto Him.
The podcast version of this episode can be found here:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/shining-river9/episodes/37–Finishing-Well-e2uhja3
To read the original blog series on Lisa’s father, use the following link for the first episode:
https://manna.shiningriver.com/my-fathers-story-part-1/
Find more encouraging content here:
https://manna.shiningriver.com
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