You.
From the moment I first laid eyes on you, all seven pounds
and wide-eyed, I was breathless in awe. Our Father is such a brilliant Creator,
and you are a marvelous work of art. I see His craftsmanship all over you – in your
beauty, your logic, your intuition. And I’ve always found it so special to see
little pieces of your daddy and myself in you – in the way you smile, or the
way you look when you are sleepy, or the color of your eyes. I feel so happy
when people say, “Oh, she looks just like you!” Thank you. I am so glad she is
mine.
And at the same time, I see other resemblances between us.
Like when you will argue until you are blue in the face before admitting that
you could possibly be wrong. When you reason your way out of a mistake and end
up convincing yourself that you were right all along. In those times, I think someone
who knows me well could say, “Oh. She looks just like you.”
Or when you freak out every time we ask you to try something
new…when you would rather miss out on the fun just to avoid the risk of failing.
You look a lot like me.
So I want you to understand something.
There will be times when you come face to face with your sin
and yet you dig in your heels because you don’t want to admit you were
wrong…or when you are petrified of trying something new because you just might not
be good enough…
And when those times come, I might confront you. I might say
the hard words. I might push you toward that thing you are so afraid of. But I
want you to know, dear one, that I understand and that I feel every ounce of
your struggle and that I am on your side. I
am on your side.
And you.
You, with your sweet, funny heart. Your daddy asked me last
night, “Couldn’t you just eat her up sometimes?” Yes. Every single day. God
gave you a free spirit and a tender heart and I love to see His handiwork in you. And when people
say, “She looks a lot like you!” I smile and say, thank you. I am so glad she
is mine.
And then there are those times when you start to crumble.
You get so tired and overwhelmed and you just want to be at home instead of
doing a million other things throughout the day, and you fall apart. I do that
too. We’re just the same.
And sometimes you look us straight in the eye and lie. You don’t
want us to know that you have disobeyed. You don’t understand that telling the
truth is a thousand times better than lying to get out of trouble. Where do you
get that from? I don’t have to look far.
So please hear my heart. When you want to hide from the
world…when you are afraid of what will happen if you tell the truth…I get it. I
might make you go out of your comfort zone. I might bring unpleasant
consequences when you lie. But you must know that this is because I love you
infinitely, and I can sympathize with your struggles, and sweet girl, I am on
your side. I am on your side.
And God help me, I want to show you the grace that I have
been shown. Because I have a Father who sees every single one of my failures
and still delights in me. I have a Savior who knew exactly how messed up I am
and still died for me. I have a God who walks with me and shepherds me with infinite
love and compassion and whispers…
I am on your side.
