This past weekend some friends and I had the privilege of leading worship at a church in Oak Harbor, Washington. It was an amazing time of fellowship, encouragement and building new friendships. While I was there I observed something that hit me in a deep and profound way. The Pastor is an amazing guy who is not only a full time pastor but also a husband and father. On the first night, while we were sitting in a multi million dollar house eating way too much food, we were introduced to his 3 children. When they walked in the door, he got up quickly and with great excitement as his children ran into his arms yelling "Daddy! Daddy!". He greeted them like he hadn't seen them in days, but in reality it was only a few hours. He spent the rest of the night watching over them, playing games and just soaking in every moment he had with them. That same night, as we prepared for the worship night and tons was going on, his kids arrived and received the same open, welcoming embrace. He could have so easily told them he was busy, that he would see them later, or even scolded them for their exuberance. For some reason, and to my own horror, I expected those things to happen and when they didn't, God burst into my heart and said:
"That's how I act when you come to me, that is how excited I am when we spend time together. No matter how many times we talk each day, each conversation is fresh, captivating and beautiful"
It nearly brought me to tears. Without even realizing it, I've allowed this "image" of a God who is rigid, patience-less, bored with me, or who has better things to do than spend time with me, invade my heart and replace the truth of who God really is. He is loving, kind, compassionate, he adores his children, loves to spend time with them and would do anything (even give his very life) to give them the best life possible.
God I pray that this would soak into the deep recesses of my heart. May your true identity and character swallow up all those thoughts, ideas and lies that have crept in. I pray your children would have a greater revelation of who you are, what you are capable of and how much you love them.
Thank you for being such a loving Father.
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