What does your daddy look like? Is he tall? Strong? Short? Round? Thin?
Does your daddy lift you in his arms, tell you he loves you, and give you piggyback rides?
My daddy, Lenard, doesn’t do that, but it’s because I’m 27 years old and that might put a strain on his back. he he! But when I was a little girl, he did all of those things. My daddy is one of the strongest, most influential men in my life. He is my hero and he has taught me a lot of what I know now in my adult life. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned more about my daddy and learned about some of the amazing miracles God has done in his life. My daddy has stood strong in his faith and passed that on to me. All of his adult life my dad has walked with Christ, not without struggles of course, and he has not run away from God. I look at my daddy and I can only admire his life journey. Some of the lessons he’s taught me is to be a hard worker, live fully in Christ, not to take on an orphan mentality, be respectful of others and myself, and honor others even when I don’t agree with them. He’s also laid down some rules like: “Don’t date until you’re 25 years old” and given advice like: “When people pick on you, it’s most likely because they like you”. Those are actually jokes in our family, but I take them to heart because they come from my daddy. He disciplined me as a child and I appreciate that now as an adult. As I’ve grown up, he has become one of my best friends who I confide in and who I have long discussions with about life.
I love my daddy…he is the ultimate daddy!
I would like to share with you about another “daddy” I’ve met while on the race…his name is Tony Deien of Zion’s Gate Ministries in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and he’s the daddy of about 11 young boys from the streets. These boys have made the decision to leave their poor, addicted to paint thinner, no direction in life lifestyle to live with Tony and his wife Nidia. It’s amazing to see the relationship between him and the boys. Tony doesn’t just give them a home and food to eat, but he teaches them how to live as respectful citizens. He wants the boys to become men and learn how to work hard for the luxuries of life. There are no handouts at Zion’s Gate and Tony loves the boys enough to push them into being greater than their current selves. It’s really cool to see a man so devoted to boys who are not his own flesh and blood. The boys come from a community called Los Pinos where there is not much motivation to succeed in life. Tony shared with us that 95% of the families in Los Pinos are without fathers…this status breaks my heart. It’s encouraging though to know that Tony is dedicating his life to lifting up these boys, and then my prayer is that they grow to change the “no father” status in Los Pinos. My prayer is that the boys grow to be men of God, who then become fathers to their families.
Tony is the ultimate daddy!
I would like to share with you yet another daddy who I’ve truly known for a few years now…his name is God and he’s been the greatest daddy in my life. God never fails and He knows how to love. He is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God is patient and God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, and He is not proud. He does not dishonor others, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, and He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. He cares about digging into the deepest parts of our hearts and wants to uproot those dark places so that we are brought into the light. God loves from the east to the west and won’t relent until He has all of who we are. He disciplines us in love because he wants us to be greater. God allows pain to happen because when we focus our eyes on Him, we see the hope that comes through the pain. Life is messy, but God our daddy has it all knitted together, and even though He doesn’t reveal to us the big picture, we put our trust in Him that He has it all in control. God is jealous for us and He is zealous as he chases after our hearts. God created the heavens and the earth, and He created us to be exactly who we are. He sees us each as beautiful creations and loves us for who we are, what we look like, our personalities, etc. God lifts us up in His arms, tells us He loves us, and even gives us piggy back rides when we need them.
God is the ultimate daddy of all ultimate daddies!
I hope that you have an earthly daddy who loves you, and if not I pray that you find God, the ultimate daddy who loves you unconditionally!
