Abba Daddy’s Love

Wet, tired and happy, we were all sitting on beach towels after a wonderful summer evening of water-fight fun. The kids were all contentedly sucking on popsicles and chatting amongst themselves. When the conversation turned to family, one little girl amazed me with her child-like perspective. Her parents are divorced, and both re-married. As the others talked about their own parents, she proudly interjected to declare: “I have TWO moms and two dads!!” Her faced glowed with a pleasure and a delight that showed she believed she was the luckiest kid in the world to get to have two sets of parents.

Any adult would likely pity her for having parents who are split up, and having to go back and forth between mom and dad. But this sweet child didn’t see things that way. From her point of view, she was elated to have twice the number of parents to care for her than any of the other kids at church had. In a situation where one might have expected her to feel unloved, she chose to feel doubly loved. Because that’s the kind of wonder and excitement with which kids approach the world.

Serving in children’s ministry, I am continually and deeply struck by how much the Kingdom of Heaven is present in the hands and hearts of children. They are trusting, eager, joyful, curious, creative, fun-loving, free-spirited, willful, caring, simple and sweet. It’s no wonder why Jesus chose to assign the leadership of His Kingdom to kids. Kids aren't afraid to embrace wild possibilities such as the idea of a God who is both great and good, big and near, merciful and just. They don’t struggle to believe that God is loving and kind, or that He’s a Father who delights in them. They simply and wholeheartedly delight in Him in return.

Jesus told his disciples that unless they changed to become like little children, they would never enter the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15) And more than any other name, Jesus continually referred to God as Father. We have a God who wants us to run to Him the way a small child runs to their Daddy’s arms. We have a God who wants us to learn the simple trust and joy of a little kid delighting in the love of their Father.

Don’t you ever wish you could be a kid again? I know I do. I long to go back to the days when I was free from all the responsibilities and worries of adulthood. I wish for the days when things were simpler, and I could be happy and carefree. And when I am with my Abba Daddy, that’s exactly what I get to be: His kid. In His presence, I know that I am safe and loved. I know that my Daddy is strong, so I don’t have to be. I know that I don’t have to have a care in the world beyond the pleasure of simply being with Him.

Do you have that kind of special Father-child relationship with God? I think we all want it, but often feel like that kind of special intimacy is lacking in our every day experience. Having grown up in a Christian home, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know the song “Jesus Loves Me.” Its lyrics are familiar and beloved by many. And yet, the older I get, the more I realize that I have no idea just how much Jesus loves me. I have discovered that a head knowledge of God’s love is vastly different from the eternally surprising and invigorating experience of being continually filled with the unconditional and ever-present love of the Father.

I can tell you that God loves you all day long, but it won’t move your heart unless you’ve truly known and experienced that love for yourself on a personal level. So perhaps you're wondering, “How do I have that kind of personal encounter? Where do I find that kind of love and intimacy?”

To help answer that question, let me tell you another story….

It was Sunday morning, and I was in my favorite place: in Sunday school with my kids. But I wasn’t feeling well, and my respiratory issues were causing problems. I was coughing and panting and struggling to breathe. I ended up having to step out of the classroom, leaving the kids with the other teacher. I needed to use my humidifier and take care of myself. I was hating my disabilities, and wishing my body would cooperate with me. I wanted to be with my kids, not dealing with a coughing fit.

Meanwhile, the Sunday school lesson went on without me. And when it was over, a sweet little boy who was concerned for me stepped out of the classroom and handed me a picture he had drawn. At the bottom, he had written the words “God loves you.” He smiled compassionately and gave me a hug before running off to play with the other kids. It was exactly the encouragement my heart needed in that moment. I was feeling messy and broken, frustrated and disappointed. Things weren’t going the way I wanted. But God met me in that moment, and through the kindness of a child, He reminded me that His love was present with me in my struggle.

If you want to encounter the love of your Heavenly Father, you have to be willing to let Him meet you where you are. You have to come to Him honestly and openly, with all your bruises and your scars. You have to be willing to let Him reach into the tender places of your heart, and fulfill your deepest longings. It’s not easy or comfortable. But when you learn to be present with Him exactly the way you are, you will discover that His love will meet you there in the most beautiful ways.

So my challenge to you is to simply let your Abba Daddy love you. If you try to clean yourself up or get your act together in order to meet with Him, you’ll only find yourself floundering under the weight of guilt, fear and shame. But if you come to Him with the simple faith of a child, knowing that you are fully loved and accepted exactly as you are just because you’re His kid and He’s your Daddy, you will experience a love like none you’ve ever known before. Your Father adores you! He delights in you! And He wants you to come to Him like a child. So let yourself rest in your Father’s strong arms today, and just enjoy being His kid. I pray that you will never cease to be amazed and delighted by the sweetness and depth of your Abba Daddy’s love for you.