♥ Daddy's Girl

Almost 26 years ago, a certain man (we'll call him DAD) took a three day journey into the middle of nowhere. With nothing but his Bible, his tent and his heart, he spent those three days in prayer... for me. He prayed that I would have a heart that always seeks the Lord and His will; he prayed for my health; he prayed that I would have beautiful eyes. Since the moment he learned about my being knitted together in my mother's womb, my dad has given every part of himself to me- to make sure that I am well provided for in every area of my life.

Not one day escapes me that I know how wonderful he is and how blessed I am to have him as my DAD. I have always known how mighty a man of God he is, how great his love is for me. By far, he is the best figure I have of my Heavenly Father.

A certain quote goes like this:

"Henry James once defined life as that predicament which precedes death, and certainly nobody owes you a debt of honor or gratitude for getting him into that predicament. But a child does owe his father a debt, if Dad, having gotten him into this peck of trouble, takes off his coat and buckles down to the job of showing his son how best to crash through it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

^ That, right there, is MY DAD. Through life's misdemeanors and felonies he has been right by my side, imparting his wisdom (one of his most commonly-used reminders was, "You can learn the hard way or you can listen to my wisdom.") and helping me trudge through the consequences. Apart from the grace and help of Jesus, I don't know how I would've recovered from my stumblings.

{Not so much of a} NEWS FLASH: the man has stumbled, himself. Like any daughter who sits upon her daddy's lap with a heart full of admiration and joy, learning the lesson that he is a human was a blow to my soul that hurt more than any others. But, you know what it taught me? The man can recover from anything. All credit belongs to Jesus, but, He doesn't make anyone do anything; my dad submitted himself and God has been glorified in him. It makes my admiration and love for my earthly father swell a hundred times over.

My dad is my hero, he is the example of what a Godly man look like. I see him and I know that there are good men out there who love the Lord and how know to seek after Him with their whole heart. Though he is human, I strive to be like my dad, with his compassion for people and his desperate desire for the Holy Spirit.

Dad, I love you. I love you. I love you. Thank you for always being there for me, for supporting me in prayer, for teaching me. You are the most gifted and anointed teacher I have ever come across and I consider it a huge honor and blessing from God to have you as my own father- with unconditional access to your heart and wisdom. Thank you for loving me.