sharing Daddy

My dad is the best. He really is.

He is a humble servant--the most go-with-the-flow, others-before-self, always-there man.

He is a hard worker for good purposes--commuting more than one thousand miles each month to provide for his family, diligent in all his tasks, yard man, maintenance supervisor, sound guru, drummer, runner.

He is an encourager to the core--always uplifting, truthful and loving, an eye for what people do well.

He is a Jesus-loving man--knowing Jesus more each year, using those miles and miles of traffic war for prayer, and ever more concerned for the things that God is concerned for, generous to a fault.

He is a faithful husband, an excellent father--a good man.

He is the kind of father who makes it easy to understand why God is good, why He wants a relationship with us as a Father to His children. 

Verses like, "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him,"

and like, "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry 'Abba! Father!'" so easy to relate to. 

God's heart for me is like the heart of Mark Lawrence toward me...only perfect, and better, and all-knowing, and glorious.

But still, it isn't a difficult connection to make, no stretch there. And I am so grateful.

I listen to my friends and acquaintances (not all, but many--more than I would have imagined) talk about their dads and the wounds they have, the jilted worldviews they had thrust upon them, the passivity that leaves them suffering today. Although I hope I've never said it aloud, as I hear these stories my heart is always breaking as I think to myself, "I wish I could share Daddy with her...I wish she had my dad too...Let my dad be your dad."

And as I thought of this again yesterday, I realized it is my favorite thing about my daddy: he is so good he would be worth sharing if that were possible. If all my friends who are literally fatherless or are emotionally, spiritually, practically fatherless could be adopted by Mark Lawrence, I would sign them up in a heartbeat, start their paperwork, raise the money to pay for it, the whole nine yards.

Clearly, that is not possible.

But I know what is, and I am so grateful for the glimpse I get of it from my relationship with Daddy. 

My Heavenly Daddy is so good, so perfectly loving and just that He gave the life of His only Son so that I could be adopted into His family. Not only did Jesus take away the punishment for the natural state of my heart that chooses myself over God every single time, but He also gave me the perfection that He lived on this earth. He gave me His spotlessness so that I might wear it before my Father and find full acceptance and love and privilege. 

Jesus, precious Jesus, came to this earth to take our brokenness and lead us to His Dad, to say, "I want to share Daddy with you...I want you to have my Dad too...Let my Dad be your Dad." 

Come into the family, He says. All are welcome, all is taken care of. Let His favor and approval rest on you under Jesus' blood. Let His open arms embrace you with healing for all of those wounds, every sore. Let Him protect you now, let Him hold you now, let Him provide for you, let Him overjoy you. Come into Love.

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory...

Happy Father's Day, Daddy-Mark. Thank you. I love you.