I would hear the door open from anywhere in the house and drop everything I was doing and scream, “daddys home!!!!” I would run and he would bend down in the hall way and hug me. I remember doing this everyday when I was little.
Lately God has been showing me so much about His love through my earthly father. My dad has been the best dad I could ever have, beyond supportive, passionate about helping others, always willing to spread joy and full of never ending love.
At training camp God showed me how much my dad loved me and wrecked me with how much more my Heavenly Father loves me. He since has used my earthy dad’s love to show me more about my heavenly dad’s love.
A couple weeks ago God reminded me of how in awe I was with my dad when I was little. I would beg to sit on his lap and always want to be with him. I could not even wait till it was my week to go to breakfast with him. I would sit with him in the same booth every time and felt like the coolest person in the world when the waitress remembered my order. The only reason my dad would miss a sporting event was if another kid had one at the same time. I would always look up at him to see his laugh if I fell or his angry clap at the refs. He has always been my biggest fan and so proud of me.
The other night my squad leader and team leader wanted to serve us and and wanted us to understand the Fathers love. They washed our feet, just like Jesus. To show us the deep love that Jesus has for us, a love that is not looking for anything in return. I was standing in the corner of the room dancing with Jesus and also thinking about dancing with my dad in my little pink ballerina outfit. Being continually wrecked by how my fathers love for me is so so much greater then my dads.
As I got my feet washed I was filled with the fathers love. My team leader was praying over me and said these words, “God is so proud of you right now. He will never not be proud of you. Even if you go home tomorrow He would be beyond proud of you.” Wow. There is nothing I can do. There is not a gift I can get or have that would increase his love. There is not a salvation total that would make him prouder. There is nothing I can do. There is no striving in the Fathers love. None.
I believed that about my earthly dad but not my heavenly dad. It made sense now why God showed me those pictures of myself with my dad. He was trying to show me it was the same with him but even greater.
People can only find true intimacy with the father if they understand his never ending unconditional love. We will never understand God if we don’t understand love.
