Daddy's Girl

I am definitely a daddy's girl. The youngest of three children, I grew up thinking there was nothing my father could not do. He had the ability to keep the boogeyman at bay and kill the horrendous spiders that tormented me. He had the compassion to hold me after a nightmare and cradle me in the safety of his arms whenever I felt frightened. He had the patience to sit by my bed when I was two just before I was taken into surgery to have my tonsils removed. He had the strong hand I needed when I did something wrong and the forgiveness to never hold past wrongs over my head. He was one of the most intelligent men I have ever known.

As an adult, my father hasn't changed much in my eyes. He's a little older with more gray hair, but he hasn't changed on the inside. He's just as brave, compassionate, loving, patient, and forgiving as he ever was. His intelligence guides me and instructs me still today. I seek his advice on virtually every aspect of my life. Next to God, he was the most important man in my life.

Until I met my husband. I've heard it said that when the youngest daughter marries, she searches for a husband that is most like her father. That is definitely true in my case. I wanted qualities in my husband that mirrored qualities I saw in my father and God provided me with a loving husband that possessed those qualities and more. I value my husband's opinion more than my father's. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't still seek my father's guideance from time to time and my husband is OK with that. Truth be told, my husband loves my father almost as much as I do. Almost. And that means the world to me.

My father is not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but he's as close to it as I could hope to be. The one thing my father taught me that sticks out from all the other "life lessons" was to place my faith in God and believe that He will see me through. It hasn't always been easy, but my father was right. God was with me every step of the way.

My earthly father is a man that I love, admire, and adore. My Heavenly Father is one that I worship. My Heavenly Father knows me better than my earthly father could ever hope to know me. The Bible says that I have been adopted into the family of God and I believe that with every ounce of my being. God is my Father. My Abba.

God longs to have that kind of relationship with His children. The kind of relationship where we come to Him for all of our needs. He wants us to talk to Him just as we talk to our earthly father. He desires a relationship with US. That's amazing to me. The God of the universe -- the God that put each star in its place -- wants to have a relationship with ME! What makes me so special? What makes a young woman living in Georgia so important to the Creator of the world?

The answer is Jesus. Jesus came to earth to die for ME! He looked into the year 1975 and saw my birth. He looked further and saw each and every sin that I would committ until the day I died. He knew that God, the Father, could not look on those sins and I would be separated from my Heavenly Father. My earthly father is been behind me every step of my life. He's supported me. Challenged me. Loved me. Taught me. But most importantly, he encouraged me to rely on God.

As I child, when I did something bad, the disappointment in my father's eyes was worse than anything he could do to me. I adored the man and I let him down. The pain of that realization burned inside until I cried and cried, desparate to feel Dad's arms around me again. Telling me that it was alright. He still loved me.

When I sin, the disappointment in my Heavenly Father's eyes, though I can't see it, burns inside of me until I cry out to Him, begging Him to forgive me. I don't want to be separated from my Father. My Abba. If it wasn't for Jesus and His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later, I wouldn't have that relationship with my Heavenly Father. I couldn't be close to Him. Sin would be the gap between us and I could do nothing about it.

God wants us to be close to Him. He yearns for a close relationship with His children. With sin in the world, He knew HE had to be the one to create a bridge. He sent Jesus to earth and watched as the people mocked Him, beat Him, and killed Him. He waited until that third day when Jesus arose and conquered death. He still watches as His children come running to Him, with Jesus covering the gap between sin and God.

I love my earthly father. Love him more than I could ever describe. But my love for him is nothing compared to the love I feel for God. I am now, and will forever be, Daddy's girl.