Good Morning

Today I was downstairs in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew. As I slipped on my shoes I heard little footsteps in the hallway upstairs. I knew before she came down that it was my second youngest (she's the early riser of the clan). She came down the steps and headed for the living room, the opposite direction of where I was in the kitchen. I followed and stopped in the dining room watching as she scanned the room. I waited patiently as she turned and eventually found me waiting for her.

I lifted her into my arms and held her as we whispered 'good mornings' and 'I love yous'. Then I carried her to the chair in the living room and sat with her as we talked about her coming day. She talked of breakfast, clothes and hullabaloo (gotta love the 4 year olds).

As she talked, I noticed her sore lip. She has taken to sucking on her top lip and it gets chapped. I put some salve on her lip, which was apparently bothering me more than her. We then continued our talk as she contemplated her plans for the day. After another long hug I left for work.

As I drove I thought about how the morning's encounter with my daughter mirrors what God desires from us. He stands watching and waiting for us as we begin our day and scan our surroundings; will we look for our Father or continue on our own agenda? If we seek him we will find him waiting, and he will hold us tightly as we whisper to his ear. He wants to know what we are looking forward to and how we will spend our day.

I also thought of how God cares for us. Just like my daughter's chapped lip, God notices what we need healing from. Sometimes we know too, but I think more often the healing we need we are oblivious to, but he applies the salve that is needed.

We serve a mighty God. He is our creator, our redeemer, our counselor, our healer...and he is our father. And He desires to be a part of our existence.

"I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

II Corinthians 6:18