Proud Papa

Do you know how proud your Daddy God is of you? He sees your heart, postured to learn more about Him. He sees your hands, reaching out to those in need. He sees your lips, speaking words of encouragement and love. He sees your feet, on the path He has set out before you. Do you know how proud He is of you?

So often we go through our daily walks, doing as we  think He would have us do… and we forget how engrossed He is in every action, every reaction… watching for evidence of His Holy Spirit at work within us.  Certainly there are times when we fail, but I am convinced that His focus are not on those moments… I am convinced that His focus are on the moments that point to our progress in looking more and more like His Son.

Picture Him, gazing over the balcony of Heaven, cheering you on just as I did when Zach was running toward the end zone. Imagine that!!!! He is watching every step. He sees the opposition… He sees you when you fall short of the goal… but He knows you are learning, and He trusts the process because it’s His process.  I wasn’t disappointed that it took several runs for Zach to get into the end zone… I was proud of him that he just kept trying. And that each time, he pushed a little harder, ran with more confidence, and got a little closer.

I was reminded of my proud Papa yesterday when a family member called, out of the blue, after having read “lessons in teamwork”.  He kept thinking of my statement “and that’s the day I officially became a football mom”… and how proud I had been watching Zach succeed… and he felt the nudge to call me and remind me how proud our Heavenly Father is of us.  Of me.  That the pride we feel in our own children does not even begin to touch how proud He is of us. Of you.

He is watching, ever watching. But not as a Divine Scorekeeper. Not as a dispassionate announcer. He is watching as a Father… bursting with pride when you share a kind word with another, when you choose not to carry the weight of offense and instead opt for forgiveness, when you evidence patience, and love, and faithfulness.  He is ravished by you! He is so proud of you!

And, he is proud of you, too, Ed… after all you didn’t have to call. You didn’t even have my phone number, and you knew that I would be surprised to hear your voice… but He told you to, and so you did.  It felt like a small act from your end, I’m sure… yet to me you were the voice of encouragement and confirmation. You were the voice of my Daddy saying, “I am proud of you, Becky. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other…I will guide your path.”  Thank you so much.

How can we encourage one another today? What opportunities do you have in your workplace, in your home, at the gym to be kind?  You don’t have to sell all you own, or rush to a far off land, or have a deep spiritual revelation to make your Daddy proud. You just need to put one foot in front of the other, and allow Him to guide you. Listen for the nudge, and make the phone call. Ignore the chaos of the world, and smile at the clerk at the grocery store. Hold a door for someone. Look them in the eye. Let the world see Jesus in you today… and while you are at it, listen for your Daddy yelling from the stands “Way to go! Way TO GO!  WELL DONE!!!!” 

A proud daddy :)