A Father's Love

A Norvell Note

Vol. 14 No. 26                                        June 27, 2011

            I have seen it from the bleachers during high school football games. His son is on the field, but the father is completely tuned in. Some dads cannot sit still so they pace the sidelines. They often look like they are talking to themselves. They are not. They are talking to their sons. It almost seems as if there is an invisible direct line of communication between the father and the son. A father’s love is deep.

            I have seen it in auditoriums as a little girl takes center stage for “her moment” in the school play. When the performance is over and the cast members take their final bows she searches the audience until she sees her Daddy. A smile spreads across her face. For her, there is only one person in the audience. A father’s love is beautiful.

            I have seen it in the airport as a soldier moves through the airport searching every face hoping to see his family. The little ones spot him, run into his arms cheering, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” He picks them up, hugs them, kisses them, and tells them he loves them. A father’s love is precious.  

            I have seen it in the funeral parlor as sons and daughters stand by a casket in disbelief as they stare at their father. They cry. They laugh. They share stories from their childhood. They recall how he helped them through tough times. They reflected on what he taught them about family, about friends, about life, and about God, and how those teachings will live on. A father’s love is enduring.    

            I have seen it in a child’s hospital room as fever from an unexplained illness has stolen the energy from a toddler. Next to the bed sits a dad relentlessly watching, waiting, and praying. He is attentive, gentle and patient. A father’s love is comforting.  

            I have seen it from the steps in the front of church buildings. Preparation and decorations are complete. The wedding party is in place. There is a significant pause in the action. The music shatters the silence as the doors in the back open and everyone stands to see the bride. Walking slowly down the aisle is a father and his daughter. She is beaming. He is feverishly fighting back the tears as they reach the front where he stands between his daughter and the man who is about to be her husband. He hopes he can deliver his one line. With all the strength he can muster he whispers, “Her mother and I.” With a hug and a kiss, he releases her. He takes his seat and wipes his tears. A father’s love is sacred.                 

            I have seen it in spiritual gatherings as lives are changed by the realization of the love the Father has for His children. Tears flow. Hearts are broken. Relationships are reconciled. Hope is realized. The Father’s love is everlasting.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3, NIV)

            A father’s love is a gift from God. I hope you have, or have had, a father who has loved you, like the Father love him. But, that may not be your story. You may have never known the love of your earthly father, and you may never know what it feels like to love like a father. But you can know the love of the Father in heaven has for you.

My prayer is that the Father’s love will become real to you, that you will embrace His love, and that you will share His love. His love is deeper, more beautiful, more precious, more enduring, more comforting and even more sacred than we can imagine. May you experience the Father’s love today. (Click here for Sarah Sadler’s How Deep A Father's Love For Us.)          

           

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2011. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.