And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. — Galatian 4:6-7
How against our very adult sensibilities it is to cry out to God as if a giddy child to a beloved parent. But God does indeed have for us perfect parental love — that unconditional, heart-bursting-out-of-your-chest love, a love that is deeply personal, bottomless, and abundantly flowing. Jesus’ word for “Daddy” is “Abba.”
A friend of mine tells the story of returning home after a long trip and feeling guilty over the travel demands of his work. Any fear of an icy welcome was obliterated when his young daughter threw her arms around him, “I love you, Daddy!”
He couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you love me, honey?”
She answered simply, “Because you’re my daddy!”
Moving Forward: Spend some time with the person you love most today. Let them know you love them, just because.
Daily Prayer, a resource of Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church, grew out of the determination of the General Convention in 1934 to counter a period of anxiety, distrust, and decline in the Episcopal Church with a “forward movement” charged to “reinvigorate the life of the church and to rehabilitate its general, diocesan, and parochial work.” The popular daily devotional Forward Day by Day, which provides daily meditations based on scripture readings appointed by the lectionary and Daily Office. This reflection was written by Julie Hoplamazian, priest associate at Zion Episcopal Church, Douglaston, NY. Forward Day by Day is published in English, Spanish, large print, audio cassette, and Braille editions, and the daily meditation is available online. Forward Movement receives no subsidy from the Episcopal Church and operates with a balanced budget. Click here to donate to its ministry and mission. You can also follow online on Facebook and Twitter.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. — Jimmy Dean
The Light 
I can’t see God like a dad,
and can’t imagine ‘pals-y’;
given the life I have had,
He’s more like William Halsey.
Iron-jaw and weathered face,
squinting steel-blue eyes
that yet beget both warmth and grace
and He ordains who lives, who dies.
And that is really fine with me;
I know He’s on my side
and I’ll give Him the victory
whatever may betide.
His worth doth to me impute
in His sharp returned salute.
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike