By Laura Humphrey
Last Sunday was Fathers’ Day. In my family this holiday was considered “another card-company-money-spinner,” although Mothers’ Day did not suffer the same derision. Something to do with Fathers’ Day being a too-recent addition to the calendar to be trustworthy, whereas Mothers’ Day has the weight of years behind it. But that’s the English for you.
So I was a bit surprised when I learned that our kids’ ministry last Sunday would be devoted to making cards and gifts for the fathers of Solano Community Church. That’s nice, I thought, and then forgot about it.
Standing at the back of the room on Sunday, the service was coming to an end and the band was playing.
Love so amazing
Love so amazing
Being an easily distracted type, I found myself observing a toddler walk in with her mother.
“Look. There’s Daddy,” this mother pointed to a man standing some way off.
The moment her eyes had followed to where her mom was pointing, this little girl ran full pelt, smiling, gleeful, and held up a small bag of candy and a homemade card proudly to her dad, who swung her up into his arms. It immediately struck me that what I was watching (being also a nosy type) was an illustration for worship.
This dad could have bought himself a bigger bag of candy, or a card handmade by a Bay Area paper craftsperson. But of course that’s not what’s Fathers’ Day is about. He was thrilled to receive this small, perfectly formed gift from his beloved daughter.
So it seems to me that God the Father feels a similar pleasure when we offer up our praises to him. He may have a choir of tens of thousands of angels – whose singing is more tuneful, whose attitude is purer, who don’t get disheartened or cold or distracted or bored. But somehow our praise is pleasing to him. It is a love so amazing.
When we turn our eyes to Jesus and look to where he is pointing, we see God the Father. And when we run to him full pelt, and hold up our praises, our thanks, our lives – no matter how seemingly small or imperfect they may be – he delights in our offering and swings us up into his arms.
The encouragement for me, and I hope for you, is that the more we treat each day of our lives as the Father’s day, the closer our relationship with him becomes. Not because he is moving towards us (for he is always with us and never leaves us) but because we are running towards him. Full Pelt. And as for Fathers’ Day, well it looks like those dastardly card company schemes won me over after all.