Should I make peace with my father?
Dear Dale:
I was raised in a Christian family. Evangelical, no less. Not only that, my father is a minister. But then I lost my faith and discovered drinking and have been on a tear ever since. Naturally, my dad didn’t approve, we had a big falling out and haven’t spoken in years.
I recently found out I’m dying. Cancer. Only have a few months left and feel like making amends. What do you think? Should I reconcile with my family and return to the Lord? You know, just in case there is a God after all.
Signed,
One foot in the grave
Dear OFITG:
Sorry to hear you’re going to kick the bucket. Well, that’s another reader lost. What a bummer.
As for your question… hell no! Satan’s brought you this far. Stick with him. Besides, the Devil has feelings too you know. How do you think he’ll feel about you dumping him at the last minute? After all the time and effort he put into leading you right up to the gates of Hell? Pretty pissed, I’m sure.
I know the feeling. I can’t count the number of friends who’ve bailed on me. One day they’re pleasantly passed out in a stripper’s lap and the next, they’re in AA, sitting in a circle with a bunch of alcoholic has-beens who bore you with the story of how they hit rock bottom — by punching a cop, wrapping their car around a pole or sleeping with their sister.
What’s worse, some of them find Jesus. Like He’s a penny on the floor.
(I sometimes feel sorry for Jesus: no one ever comes to Him until they’re in trouble. I’d say, screw you. Where were you before?)
Now, as a ploy to get out of prison, I get it. Nothing moves hearts like a few fake words about Jesus. But why keep that up once you’re out?
And then there are those people who suddenly realize the value of life, how they wasted their life working and we should all just live in the moment.
Well, guess what: I’m already there. First day on the job I realized work is a necessary evil, nothing more, and there was no way I was going to devote myself to making some prick rich or even exert myself to the point I earned my salary. Screw that. Fight the system.
Besides, it’s all bullshit. If they could do it all over again, they would. Exactly the same. Waste their life and then whine about it. Boo hoo hoo.
So forget all this nonsense about reconciling with your family. Drink more, not less. Pedal to the metal. Accelerate towards that cliff. You’ll go over it a bit sooner but, at this point, what’s a few days?
As for the afterlife… my guess is Hell’s a lot more interesting than people give it credit for. Before you laugh, ask yourself: which would you rather celebrate for all eternity, Halloween or Easter? Thought so.
So embrace damnation. Instead of trying to weasel out of it by sucking up to Jesus. The Devil will respect you for it. You’re going to see a lot of him. Might as well get on his good side. You’ll be glad you did. Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Dale
Hi. If you’ve made it this far, you probably liked the story. So why not check out some others at my Medium page? https://medium.com/dear-dale
