In a time when families are broken down, blended up and statistically you are more likely to be missing a solid father figure in your life, we decided to ask some of our friends who we think make great dads, spiritually, biologically, to the church, and to the student generation, to write to you. So just in case your dad never got to speak into your life in the way you'd hoped, here's a postcard from dad to you. 

 

It’s been a while since I was at uni myself but when I look back it was a real key time of change. 

My best advice is to make a stand on your Christian faith. Yeah, I know it sounds a bit of a pet answer but something I totally mean. If this business about being saved by this Jesus Christ has any substance then now‘s the time to know it, or rather Him, for it then effects the rest of your life, not just the time at uni. 

So get into the Bible direct and daily, it’s not just an intellectual thing but literally the Word of God that will bring faith in the heart. And then growing good natural prayer and worship to God, and the less-polished the better. Plus living it out rightly, obeying what Christ says, and when you do mess up then just turning to him and getting on with things. 

I actually had a cool painting done when I was younger that comes to mind and may help! It’s based on the popular piece by Thomas Blackshear called Forgiven, and okay this might sound a bit weird but I had it painted by an artist with myself as the person in the middle, as it’s such a powerful visual picture of the whole salvation thing. It’s okay to truly let go of everything; lock, stock and smoking barrel. You can then start living a new kind of life afterwards which allows Christ to work through you by the Holy Spirit. 

We can then still do real human-life stuff and not just stay in a super-spiritual bubble. So studying well, living out right relationships, and preparing to work both during and after university. That’s going to be straight and narrow path, but lean into and trust Christ, and then just watch things pad out.

Read more postcards from my dad here: Paul W, John, Steve C, David, Steve,