A child.
A child is sitting in the house, holding onto his favorite toy.
His face is pressed into a window pane. One blond curl is caught between the
pane and his forehead. His blue-green eyes, wide with innocence, are squinted
with boyish intensity. A dinted brass clock, sitting on the counter, reads 5:30
p.m. "Daddy's about to be home". Those weird, funny little nervous
feelings rush through the little child's hands and feet. "I want
Daddy." The child shifts around and shuffles his feet while fidgeting with
his toy, which has lost its appeal. "I want Daddy to hold me!" The
little boy runs, pulls up the window-curtain and looks onto the drive-way....a blue
car passes. "Humph". Where is he? Its almost time to eat and he isn't
here! Where is the old green work-truck?"
"Come eat your food. Dad will be here shortly and have his
own.", says Mom as she walks into and out-of the kitchen.
He waits. One minute passes......a red car passes....a grey truck
passes....a black van passes. "Oh! he is supposed to be here! Mom! Where
is Daddy!? I want him to be with us when we eat supper", little boy says
with a slight whine. Vrrroooooom!
"There! Its the old green truck! He's here, Mommy! Daddy's
here!! Yes!"
The little boy runs to the door and twists the knob with exaggerated,
imaginary Ninja-style ferocity. The curls are free-flying. The lighted
tennis-shoes are flaming those little batteries out as the boy pounds down the
steps with jumps that have to be at least twenty feet high!....at least.
Theboys plate of food lies untouched back at the table.
The toy lies on the floor.
When the little feet have doggedly run the twenty-feet to the
truck sitting in the drive-way, the big door is swung open and one big boot is
firmly planted on the concrete. "Dadddyyyyy!!" The boy runs around
and propels himself onto Daddy's dusty leg, trying with all his little strength
to squeaze Dadd's leg so Daddy will laugh with joy and commence with tickles
and kisses.
"What did you do today, Daddy? Did you find any bugs? Or a
lizard? Or did you see a gunfight?! Daaaaaaddy, you didn't go to the pet-store,
did you? Or the toy-store? Did you buy me something?"
Daddy has already
clasped his rough and worn hands around his little boy's head and face. All that
can be seen is squished cheeks, a little nose and closed eyes. Yet, Little Boy
still manages to speak. Daddy laughs one of his happy, deeper laughs.
"Ahhh! Stop. StooooOOop, Daddy. You face is poking me!" Daddy continues
a short second longer, brushing his scruffy cheek against the small, rosy
cheeks of Little Boy. Daddy engulfs Little Boy's hand in a gentle, firm grip
and yanks him into the air; catching him with into the other strong arm.
"Lets go eat. You get to see what I got after we eat
and talk to Mommy, okay?"
*gasp!* "You DID get me something, didn't you?? I knew it!
Haha! I knew you would, Daddy. Thank you, Daddy. I love you."
Little boy rests his head against Daddy as Daddy bears him solely
in his right arm, while clutching work papers, construction plans and a
scratched up briefcase in the other..........................Safe. Safe in
Daddy's love. No expectations denied. Daddy; full of happiness in being a good
Daddy. Little Boy; happy in being Daddy's little boy.
*****************************
Nice story, huh? Haha. Well, the little story is just my little
preface to the translation of the reality of what truly pleases Daddy.....our
Daddy......The Best Daddy in the whole world....God.
When God comes to see
me, He isn't desiring me to come dragging my face in the dirt, moaning and
asking what I can do for Him. He
isn't even wanting me to approach Him wearing a joyful countenance while also
holding my own lengthy "to do" list. He wants me.
He wants His child.
And He wants my heart to be full of the Expectation of HIS
goodness...............you see...........because that expectation allows His
good love and good gifts and good surprises to be enjoyed in the fullness of
what He desires.
If you come in obligated
servant hood, your downcast eyes will never see what glory stands before you;
the glory that is standing before you to the full-forming of your own pleasure.
Take note: I am not
saying that you should throw out a holy servant's heart. But Martha's heart of
obligated servant-hood did NOT aligned with Christ's heart filled with a
servant's spirit.......A child desires to "help Daddy".
---"Helping Daddy
is the best! I want to be like Daddy! I want to do what He does."----
There is not a child
raised in love, however, that bears the identity of obligated servant-hood.
Yes! That's what I said. A child should NEVER have to say, "well, I need
to take out the garbage or Daddy won't love me..... I need to be real diligent
or Daddy might be disappointed in me and then spank me.....I better look real
happy, or Daddy might say I am whining and then lock me in my room in punishment".
Look at those imaginary
responses.
Just look at them. How many times have I come to God in that
spirit....................all the while, God had a cool collection of bugs to
show me. He had a Popsicle to give me. He, fully overjoyed, in love with me,
had a bag of toys to give me. He, wanting to spend time with me, had prepared a
day exploring the zoo together!!!!!
THAT...............that
is the Good Daddy that we love. That is also the Good Daddy whom we often treat
as a bad daddy.
I want to be for God a
little who treats Him just as He is..................that is all.
I want to run out to
meet Him at the end of the day, FULLY EXPECTING Him to be as GOOD as HE SAYS HE
IS. He is the Good Father.
He IS GOOOOOOOOOOD!
There is nothing in Him that leaves me with a reason to doubt Him, and so
succumb to the deceiving feelings of inadequacy,
obligation and slave mentality.
Nothing.
He is my Best Dad. I
will be His Best Child. And together, we will love in freedom and adventure. We
will conquer the bad guys every time. And we will save the poor guys every day.
We will make cool plans for tree-forts, and we will build cities of
awesomeness! I will rest in the safety of His love. And He will delight in my b.e.l.i.e.f. in Him.
Because I believe in
Him, He will try to surprise me every time. And He will accomplish His goal.
Cause He is that good.
So, guys. What I am saying is that I feel like
(just maybe), there is a call for us to put our hearts back into Daddy's lap.
We neeeeeeeed to be surprised by
Daddy. We need to believe He will do something, and then get blown out of our
minds when He takes it a step further.
Get up and dance or
something.
Surrender your heart to
the Best Daddy, our Father.............and then................
.............. receive
the heart of a child.
I am doing it too. We
all need to. We need to be the children. Cause He wants to be the Daddy.
"Come on Daddy. Come
home. Come show me what you did today. And show me what you want to do now. I
want to do it with you. And I want to show you the pictures I drew today. And
the mud-fort I made. And the glass window I accidently broke. And I want you to
see how I tried to do things like you do them. I did like you because you are
the best. And I want to be like you. Teach me Daddy. And.......can we go get
ice cream and buy a dog before mom gets home??? I love you, Daddy."
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