My sister got married about 7 years ago and looking at all the
pictures from her wedding and reception, one of my favorites has always been
the picture of her and our dad dancing.
They are looking right at each other, smiling, and the love between them
practically jumps right out of the photo.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, it was my turn to dance with dad at my
reception. It was no different than
Emily’s picture. While we were dancing,
dad looked at me and said, “well, are you happy?” Of course I answered yes and he replied with,
“good…that’s all I want.”
I thought about dad’s
love for us. It is unconditional. We can do whatever, go wherever, but his love
has never once wavered. He has listened
and put up with the drama and emotions that a house of girls has brought. He has loved us when it seemed that nobody else
did or could. In my 30 years, I have
never heard him raise his voice. He has
been a role model, an encourager, a help, and a friend. He has been our dad first, and our pastor
second. He stands on his beliefs, but
has let us sort through our own.
His love for Emily and I
is so great, but it pales in comparison to God’s love for us. Just like dad, God’s love is unconditional
and doesn’t waver. He listens to all our
problems and complaints. He sees
something in all of us that is lovable: Something that nobody else can see or
know. He doesn’t yell or berate us when
we make mistakes. He only picks us up
and helps us find our footing again. He
is our encourager, our motivation, our friend, our support. He is everything. He wants us to enjoy life while serving
Him. He provides us with blessings that
not one of us deserve, but I think every now and then He’ll whisper to us, “Well,
are you happy? Cause that’s all I want.”
“…There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as
a father carries his son…”
Deuteronomy 1:31 NIV
