You are Mine! (Week 2, Day 1)

My 13-year-old son, Daniel, is Southern to the core. He is an accomplished hunter, an award-winning fisherman, and he knows how to hull sunflower seeds in his mouth – something I will probably never master! Recently, Daniel decided to give his mom an introduction to some of his favorite country songs and, contrary to my expectations, I actually really enjoyed them. One song in particular strongly resonated with me. "He is Mine!" is what country singer Rodney Atkins declares about his teenage son, who comes running to him for safety. Despite the fact that his boy is in trouble with the neighbors for smoking and shooting beer bottles while trespassing on their property, the father embraces and claims him wholeheartedly. "He is mine," he proudly tells them, and no action on his son's part could ever change this.

Through his song, this father gives us a perfect example of unconditional love, without condoning any part of his boy's actions. Atkins clearly reflects the father-heart of God, just as God himself says, “You are mine,” in Isaiah 43:1b. Even when we get into trouble, He still claims us as His own. My tendency is to hide from God in shame when I have sinned against Him. Like Adam and Eve I doubt that He would still want to be with me (Gen. 3:8). But God longs to embrace us as we come running to Him, just as Rodney Atkins communicated in his song.

Nothing we do can cause God to stop loving us. God claims us completely, and not only when we are doing well. Sometimes it takes a Southern boy and his favorite country song to help me really grasp this truth!

·       What does God the Father say about you in Isaiah 43:1b?

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                              

At age 16, after being out of touch with my father for seven long years, I flew halfway across the globe to see him again. What would I call him? Daddy? Papa? Such intimate names seemed too laden with hopes and expectations, too full of potential disappointments, too vulnerable. What if he didn't want the job description that went with the name? I chickened out, opting for his first name. It seemed like a safer call. Fear of rejection is what kept me from calling him "Papa." Years later, I learned that we are to respect our parents, not because of their character, but because of their position. I then started calling him "Papa" as one way to give him honor. It felt awkward at first, but I said it anyway, knowing that it blessed my father to do so.

There is no doubt about the appropriate way to address our heavenly father.

• ·       What did He call us, even before we could think about what to call Him? (1 John 3:1)

                                                                                                                    

• ·       What did He put into our hearts to call Him? (Gal. 4:6 & Rom. 8:15)

                                                                                                                     

Even now, it sometimes feels awkward for me to call God "Daddy". It seems inappropriately intimate for a God who is all-powerful and whom the angels only approach with the words "holy, holy, holy". But He has reserved for us the right to confidently come before the throne calling him "Daddy".

·       If you have never done so, try it today. Write a prayer to God your Dad in the space below.