Happy Father's Day, God.

Today many men are being honored for their role in life as a father. Some may receive a homemade gift while others open a store bought one. Some may be taken out to a restaurant while others will get cooked for like Alivia is doing right now for her Daddy. Then there are those like Kelley and Julie who are celebrating their 1st Father's Day without their guest of honor as both of their Dad's have passed away this last year. And there are also those who were perhaps abused at the hands of their Dad and really struggle with this day.

There are also many men or young boys that are bringing babies into this world and then ignore their existence. Two of them being my own grandchildren. Although not being acknowledged my an abusive drug dealer is a blessing to this Grandma, it does carry it's own cross when the child is old enough to understand.

As much as I love my husband Gene, my Dad Acey, my father in law Willie and even my Grandpa Wayne...today I want to honor my Heavenly Father. I look back at things in my life and realize that without Him, there is no way I could have made it through. I'm probably one of His neediest daughters as I call on Him for the littlest things to the big things in my life.

The neat thing is that He wants to call each one of us His Daughter.

I'm nothing special, so I think, until I read how He knows exactly how many hairs are coming out of my head or how He formed me while in my Mom's womb. Or no matter how hard I try, there isn't anywhere I can go to escape Him.

He loves me as is. Mess and all. He is never intimidated by how much luggage we choose to carry around. He does not think we are too much for Him to handle. He just loves us. Loves us enough to send His Son down from heaven with one purpose. To save the unsaved. To capture our hearts. Even though He knew ahead of time how we would misbehave, how we would rebel, how we would choose to fill our flesh with meaningless pleasures over staying faithful to Him...we are still His chosen.

I love my Father.

I credit Him with not only saving my soul from eternal death, but saving my marriage. He is the One that I call on in times of trouble and in times of not being able to comprehend the why of the things that happen on earth such as losing the Charity's in the world.

Every day we are filled with choices to make. Some easy like what outfit to wear to work to the most difficult like what outfit to bury your daughter in. We choose what to eat, what car to drive, what zip code to have, even what color to put on our walls. The most important choice I have ever made in my life has been to open that door when Jesus was knocking. To say yes to having the King of all Kings come into my life. I made my choice in 2nd grade to invite Jesus into my life on a playground. Little did I know then of just Who was walking over the threshold of my heart's doorway.

I look at my Alivia who just completed 2nd grade and I know that she really has no idea of the One she sings about. The One she prays to. When I made my choice to invite Him into my life at her age that I too had limited understanding of Him. And at 38 years old, my understanding still has its limits about Him. No way at Alivia's age could I even begin to understand that when you go through troubles in your marriage...He's the One that will guide you. When your child goes to the grave too early, He is the One you will lean on. When you feel like giving up on life, that your heavenly Father is the One you will cry out to in the early morning hours.

All she knows right now is that she loves Him and He loves her.

Alivia knows her God, but only as her almost 8 year old self will allow. In time, her relationship with Him will grow and she'll learn more and more about the One who died hanging on a tree, rose from the grave and is just waiting for the thumbs up to come get her. Of course, I hope she makes better choices than her Mom did and that she remains on the narrow path, but whether she stays or goes I find comfort in knowing He has His eye on her 24/7.

Amazing to me that I will lie in my bed and cry out to Him over something devastating and Alivia will lie in her bed and talk to the same Father about her skinned knee and we both get the same attentiveness from Him. He listens to both of us. He captures both of our tears in a bottle. She draws near to Him, He draws near to her. I draw near, He draws near. So different, but the same God. The same Father.

I have two little grandchildren in my life that are from the same guy. Both denied. Both not taken care of by him. In the worlds' view they are labeled as fatherless and even called bastards. And looking at these two little girlies, I know they are both far from being close to that. Even though neither one has yet verbalized an invitation for Him to come into their lives, they are His.

He is the One who created them from head to toe.

He is the One who has a daily record of every hair on their little heads.

He is the One who makes that heart connection when Jesus Loves Me is sung to Amiyah and she responds by raising her chubby arms and singing along in her jibberish that only He can understand.

Fatherless? No, they have the King of Kings as their Father.

And so do I. Mess and all, He chose me.

And He slowly over time reveals Himself to His child.

Don't think for one second that He doesn't know everything about you, everything you've done, everything you're going to do and looks upon you and as the world does, labels you.

He loves you as is. He wants you as is. He is crazy about you and wants to call you His Daughter.

So come. Come to the Father and watch your life change.

Whether you are singing jibberish or kneeling on a basement floor asking Him to restore your marriage, He will be there for you.

Rejoicing over you and revealing more and more of Himself to you in due time.

And unlike some earthly fathers, He is One that will never deny your existence or forget you.

Happy Father's Day, God.

~Many Blessings~

See you Tuesday, June 23rd for the next YES to GOD summer study:

Chapter 1 of Liz Curtis Higgs' book, Embrace Grace.