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| Not
every father would have made the decision that Jim made. His love
for his daughter had priority over his job. |
| Photograph by Graham Cooper |
A Father's Love
Sarah was elated yet apprehensive at the opportunity for a great position in her field even though it meant she would have to relocate to a city 2,000 miles away. It meant taking many belongings and, of course, she would need her car. She had never made a long-distance driving trip alone, but there had to be a first time for everything. Her parents were excited for her when Sarah told them about her good fortune even though they hated to see their daughter move so far away. Neither did they relish the idea of their 19-year old traveling alone on a trip that would require a couple of nights in a motel.
Jim, who had an especially close relationship with his daughter, considered the possibility of taking time off to drive her to her destination. But, things were especially busy during this time of the year at work. She is grown, he thought, and extremely trustworthy. It is time to let her do this on her own, but he still had no peace about the matter. On his job the following day, he reviewed the events that would be taking place at the same time Sarah would be traveling. Important meetings, classes, and other administrative duties filled his calendar. So many responsibilities.
A picture of Sarah and Jim together was on Jim's desk. He picked it up. Looking at the photograph, Jim's heart won out. Arrangements could be made at the office; his daughter needed him. He would drive her to New York and fly back.
Not every father would have made the decision that Jim made. His love for his daughter had priority over his job. And this decision would further secure the bond between them.
You and I may or may not have a father as devoted as Jim, but we do have a Heavenly Father who cares for us so much that He is there for us at all times. He is there when we are happy and when we are lonely. He is there when we are frightened and when we need comforting. Did you know that one of the Old Testament names for God is Jehovah Shammah, which means, "The Lord is present?" Like Sarah's father, He will be there right beside us whether we are making a long, lonely trip across the country, or if we are in a hospital, or wherever we may be.
Perhaps you can't really relate to God as your Father, not everyone has come into that kind of relationship with Him. But Jesus told us how we can know Him in this way. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6. And then our Heavenly Father loves us far more than any earthly father could. 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
Copyright Daphne Harrington 2000