I love my daddy. And yes, I still call him Daddy.
My
father has always been one of my biggest fans. He loves me
unconditionally and he always has my back. He taught me what to look for
in a man and he chased off those that were anything but the best. He
taught me how to love and the kind of love that I deserve. He is proud
of everything I do. He is a silent cheerleader, who doesn't always have
very many words but is always standing by the sidelines, nodding
approvingly. He believes in me. He listens to me and he values my
opinions and thoughts. He lets me be me, but is always there when I need him. He is protective, but he lets me make mistakes.
My
dad is a leader and a servant. He still opens car doors for my mom after 28 years of marriage. He has
worked the midnight shift as long as I can remember, leaving for work
as we went to sleep, coming home as we woke up, and still making time to
spend with the family. My dad does not text, he does not even have a
cell phone. He is the type of man that boyfriends are intimidated by,
even before they've shaken his hand, though I'll never really understand
why. Because to me he is gentle, kind, and goofy. He has a dry sense of
humor and I think he sometimes messes with us on purpose, but totally
gets away with it.
My daddy was the first man I ever loved. He is not perfect, but he is my dad. And I will always be a daddy's girl. The woman I am today has been shaped very much by who my father is.
Being a Christian is a little bit like that to me. Yes, there is this list of famous "DOs and DON'Ts," but that isn't the sum of our religion... I do not try to do what the bible says because it is on some list, but because I love my Father and I know He knows what is best for me. Even when I don't understand why, I know that He is not just giving us arbitrary "rules" because He can, but because He loves us, values us, and wants to protect us. And because we love Him and accept His love, we listen to His guiding words and perfect advice. We want to make Him proud, even though we definitely do not need to earn His love (which is great, because we never could!).
Today I wanted to remind you of how wonderful, loving, and amazing our heavenly Father is:
He makes us exactly who we are (Isaiah 64:8; Psalm 139:13)
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb."
He is our comfort and our protector (2 Corinthians 1:3-5; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 46:1-2; Matthew 11:28)
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
He values us deeply (Matthew 6:26; 1 John 3:1)
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
He wants to give us everything He can, even if He must sacrifice (Luke 12:32; Matthew 7:9-11; John 3:16)
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
We are His favorite (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:11-32)
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."
(about the prodigal son) "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."
I've been blessed with a wonderful man to be my earthly father. Not everyone gets that. Some have that taken away far too quickly and it just isn't fair. But we have an even more perfect heavenly Father. One who quite literally wants to give us the world (and even better than the world, heaven!). One who is willing to sacrifice everything just to love us and have us with Him for all of eternity. One who calls us all His favorite.
<3
Another fun gathering of scripture about God's love for us: Father's Love Letter
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