Trusting in a Daughter.
When I was a child (still very much am one), I was a daddy's girl. I loved that everyone said I looked like my dad fashioning his white round face, beady eyes, and toe-head hair. Luckily for me, I also inherited his fiery temper and taste in all things sweet and cheese.
My dad is incredibly hard working, thinks he is a cowboy but is really a Californian Sk8r Boy, and is a heavy disciplinarian. I always feared the wrath of my dad when my mom would tell me, "Just wait until your Dad gets home." Even as an extremely difficult but normal teenager who was just a youth group kid with a bad attitude, he would try his hardest to find the best way to tell me when I was in the wrong (which was a lot).
As my dad grew to conversion after a Marriage Encounter weekend back in 2010, I noticed the change in my dad almost immediately. I noticed a more patient man emerging out of the sanctuary of the Church. Still imperfect, he started to learn how to love and care for us even more. It's as if I could feel the blessings of his prayer for us raining down and comforting us when we didn't know we needed it.
Around this time last year, I was preparing for a huge change when I had felt the need to transfer to University. I understood that my parents couldn't help me out financially so after crying my eyes out and bargaining with Jesus about my life-plans, I found myself writing a letter to my dad. I had very clearly laid out how much I needed him to help me cosign for, the pros and cons of me leaving or staying here. I asked him to pray about it and basically told him that this was the only option my heart was settling for right now. So he prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I felt as if I was on the outside of an elevator just looking at the arrows go down and up and just waiting for the door to open. One morning I came out and saw my letter left on the table with a long note written in back of it. My dad wrote to me explaining all the ways this could go wrong. But at the end he wrote, "God told me to trust you, so I will."
I breathed a sigh of relief. My dad TRUSTING me. Now, that was new. Jesus is THAT good. My dad had to block out all of the screaming television money gurus who tell you not to take out loans for your latte-obsessed 21 year old defiant daughter, and just TRUST.
For me, trusting in the Lord is extremely hard when society is screen-printing t-shirts that say "She designed a life she loved." The world is telling me to plan everything myself and figure it out myself. Figure out how to get that "cash and perfect ass" and the perfect husband and the perfect home and kick-ass career and perfect little family. I cannot imagine how hard it is for my dad who KNOWS that life is difficult and messy to set everything he has seen, felt, and lived through aside and trust in the Lord so much that he is surrendering this responsibility in the hands of his far from perfect daughter.
But that is something Christ does every-time he looks down at us from the cross. He is looking at us with trusting eyes that we will trust in his promise and share the responsibility he bestowed upon us to share the Gospel. To live out our lives as his children and share the gifts Christ left us with. That Covenant is far more important than anything else and as soon as we humble ourselves and carry out our end of the bargain, we will be rewarded as he accepts us into his arms like the loving Father he is.
My earthly Dad is far from perfect. He may drink one too many Modelos and mimics the way I talk, but he shows me the love Christ has for me daily by showing trust in me and modeling the trust he has in the Lord. Knowing that I am lucky enough to have a great Earthly father makes knowing that I have a great PERFECT Father up in heaven so much more exciting.
If you have a great Earth father, take some time to share your love with him. If you don't, no sweat, know that you are a child in the eyes of our Father God who can fulfill everything you'll ever need, and maybe a pony, if you're lucky enough.
My dad is incredibly hard working, thinks he is a cowboy but is really a Californian Sk8r Boy, and is a heavy disciplinarian. I always feared the wrath of my dad when my mom would tell me, "Just wait until your Dad gets home." Even as an extremely difficult but normal teenager who was just a youth group kid with a bad attitude, he would try his hardest to find the best way to tell me when I was in the wrong (which was a lot).
As my dad grew to conversion after a Marriage Encounter weekend back in 2010, I noticed the change in my dad almost immediately. I noticed a more patient man emerging out of the sanctuary of the Church. Still imperfect, he started to learn how to love and care for us even more. It's as if I could feel the blessings of his prayer for us raining down and comforting us when we didn't know we needed it.
Around this time last year, I was preparing for a huge change when I had felt the need to transfer to University. I understood that my parents couldn't help me out financially so after crying my eyes out and bargaining with Jesus about my life-plans, I found myself writing a letter to my dad. I had very clearly laid out how much I needed him to help me cosign for, the pros and cons of me leaving or staying here. I asked him to pray about it and basically told him that this was the only option my heart was settling for right now. So he prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I felt as if I was on the outside of an elevator just looking at the arrows go down and up and just waiting for the door to open. One morning I came out and saw my letter left on the table with a long note written in back of it. My dad wrote to me explaining all the ways this could go wrong. But at the end he wrote, "God told me to trust you, so I will."
I breathed a sigh of relief. My dad TRUSTING me. Now, that was new. Jesus is THAT good. My dad had to block out all of the screaming television money gurus who tell you not to take out loans for your latte-obsessed 21 year old defiant daughter, and just TRUST.
For me, trusting in the Lord is extremely hard when society is screen-printing t-shirts that say "She designed a life she loved." The world is telling me to plan everything myself and figure it out myself. Figure out how to get that "cash and perfect ass" and the perfect husband and the perfect home and kick-ass career and perfect little family. I cannot imagine how hard it is for my dad who KNOWS that life is difficult and messy to set everything he has seen, felt, and lived through aside and trust in the Lord so much that he is surrendering this responsibility in the hands of his far from perfect daughter.
But that is something Christ does every-time he looks down at us from the cross. He is looking at us with trusting eyes that we will trust in his promise and share the responsibility he bestowed upon us to share the Gospel. To live out our lives as his children and share the gifts Christ left us with. That Covenant is far more important than anything else and as soon as we humble ourselves and carry out our end of the bargain, we will be rewarded as he accepts us into his arms like the loving Father he is.
My earthly Dad is far from perfect. He may drink one too many Modelos and mimics the way I talk, but he shows me the love Christ has for me daily by showing trust in me and modeling the trust he has in the Lord. Knowing that I am lucky enough to have a great Earthly father makes knowing that I have a great PERFECT Father up in heaven so much more exciting.
If you have a great Earth father, take some time to share your love with him. If you don't, no sweat, know that you are a child in the eyes of our Father God who can fulfill everything you'll ever need, and maybe a pony, if you're lucky enough.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
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