Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Gazing at My Father

The other day, I was playing with my just-turned-one-year-old daughter when she heard the sound of the lawnmower's motor starting. Her head turned as she sought to determine the source of the sound, then she immediately crawled to the nearest window to look outside. Still not finding it, she went from one window to the next until finally she saw him: "Da Da!" she cried. She stared at him urgently, excitedly as he mowed the lawn, filled with pleasure at the sight of him and yet frustrated by not being able to be outside with him, as near to him as possible. "Da da da da da!" she yelled repeatedly. As he cut the grass and moved from one part of the yard to another, she followed along to the nearest window, still shouting, "Da da da da da!" and grinning with delight as he got closer and said hello to her. 

Watching her made think of my heavenly Father. Do I look to Him throughout the day? Do I long to be near Him, fixating my gaze on Him and crying out to Him? Do I feel a sense of urgency to focus on Him and follow along with where He is and what He is doing? Do I delight in His love for me? Sadly, the answer is mostly no. Seeing my daughter's desperation to watch her "Dada" reminded me of how urgently I need to focus my eyes on God and how much joy is to be found in Him.