During our end of July debrief, the Spirit was very tangible to me and God revealed the Father element of His character to me in a new way. I have always seen God as a Father that provides for me, but rarely have I ever thought of Him as a Dad that I sit intimately with. Dad just feels more personable and more on my level. I would hear people call Him Dad and it just sounded strange to me. I can’t explain why, but it didn’t feel comfortable to me. (I hope this makes sense).
At debrief, Tom Sipling was talking to us about intimacy with the Father. He painted a picture that was very real to me. He asked us to imagine a father sitting in a room. The daughter (or son) walks in and goes to the father. The daughter gets up and sits on the father’s lap. She gently rests her head on his chest. No words are exchanged, but the time is deeply sweet for each of them. Peace and beauty surround the two. He said that times like those were some of the most intimate moments he has shared with his daughter.
Imagine that picture, with your heavenly Father sitting in the room. You walk into the room. Do you stand off? Do you rush up and jump on His lap? Do you leave the room, feeling ashamed? Are you shy? Are you thrilled?
I can just imagine walking into that room and sitting on my Dad’s lap. That is Christ as a Dad. There are so many elements to the character of God. He is King, Provider, Lover, Protector, Friend, Father. I am slowly learning each facet of God. Today He has called me to be His daughter. He wants each of us to find our identity in being a son or daughter. That is who we are and that is all we have to be. It is not about what we do, where we went to school, or how we live. We are simply children of God. We must first to live as a son or daughter before we can do anything. And that is what He is teaching me.
I know that God has called me to be a daughter. What has He asked of you? He called Mary to birth Jesus. She was willing. She did not refuse or abort the call to carry and birth Christ. She accepted and carried the baby to full term. Will you abort the things that God has called you to? Will you carry them out fully or try to cut corners? Today I have been called to be a daughter. Will I abort that truth or ignore it? I hope I will accept it, carry it, let it birth inside of me, and nurture it’s growth.
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. – Luke 1:31
