The other day my team and I were sitting in a vietnamese bus on our way back from an overnight camping trip and Papa was just pounding my heart.
I had planned to sleep but when He’s on the move and exploding all over you the last thing you want is for it to stop.
We talked about several things and I might write blogs about some of the others but I wanna share about Papa fathering me.
Back before I left for the race I had gotten a word from someone about the Lord fathering me on this race and teaching me what it meant to be fathered. I tucked it away in my back pocket and I’ve listened to the recording of that night a few times on the race still not sure what that fully meant. I mean, He’s Papa to me …I know He’s my Dad! What could it mean for Him to possibly father me?
I’ve never viewed my dad as a hero. And I’ve never really let myself receive Papa as my Dad in that way. He spoke about Him as my Dad and being the kind of dad that I look up in bewilderment at. Wild belief that he’s the strongest man on earth and that he’s always going to come through, that there is a never ending supply for all my needs. That nothing can touch me because He’s my Dad. I know and believe all these things but he’s just began to open my heart to the reality and promised that He’s going to be driving it deeper and in this new Dad/hero way. I don’t know what it means to be fathered… I didn’t know when I got the word but what I’ve heard and felt from Papa and what I’ve heard from others it’s so sweet and so secure… So intimate … It’s life and identity giving.
Papa offers us a new reality..one thats not damaged and messed up from years and years of human fault. He offers us perfect love and restores every bruised cell. I may not have grown up with a perfect earthly father but Ive always had a perfect Papa. He has the power to go back and heal wounds and lies that we don’t even realize are there. His love is that real and that intense. Man y’all…my Dad wants to go back and redeem the time and mend those fractured areas back together! Just because He loves me, because He’s my Dad!
This isn’t about my biological father missing the mark, please don’t hear that. This is about Daddy God and how amazing He is! That as a 22 year old I can be childlike and relearn what being fathered means…and just in the process of being loved, protected, fought for, pursued, challenged, and a hundred other things that He would reshape and redo my identity as His Daughter.
Also!!! A fun fact! I find it hilarious and so like Papa to do this but my dad (Paul) is coming out to the parent vision trip in month eight while we are in the Philippines!!!! He’ll come out for one week with several other squad parents to enter into world race life 😀 Im stoked!!!! He’s so good!
Im still in need of a pretty large sum to meet my final deadline on March 1st for the race. Thank you for every cent up to this point – none of it is overlooked! If you’d like to help me in this last stretch I would greatly appreciate it!!! When I say any amount is amazing, I really mean it! You can track my fundraising progress up at the top of this page where it has my funding bar and see how much more I have left 🙂 Theres not a doubt in my mind that Papa has me here in this season but I need some more funding to stay! So thank you in advance and I hope that we can both watch, see and be overwhelmed by our Dads crazy provision!
AND!!! WE’VE HIT HALF WAY ON OUR RACE!!!!!
