"Daddy!"

“Daddy!” she gasped as she would if she were receiving a surprise present. It’s the same gasp I hear every day at 4:00 when the garage door starts to creak and daddy’s white car comes around the corner. Today, though, we were walking through the doors before church and she saw him. She wiggled away and took off pumping those tiny arms down the aisle towards her daddy. The daddy that makes her giggle. The daddy that fixes her toys whenever mommy fails. The daddy that can get her to eat her green beans by singing a silly song. The daddy that makes her feel safe and protected. The daddy that is waiting at the other end of the aisle to hold her tight and tell her how much he loves her. And she can’t wait to fall into those arms.

I couldn’t help but notice as I watched her run that she was not just running to her earthly daddy; she was actually running right to the cross as well. And in my precious two year old, so excited to see her daddy, I was reminded of Jesus’ words, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

So, too, may you run. May you run to your Heavenly Father. Whether it be in church, in your bedroom, in your car, run. Do not let yourself become numb to his glory, of his ability to provide you with unimaginable peace. Do not be callous to the fact that he loved you so much that he died for you. And let his presence fill you with so much energy and joy that you run so hard you fall into his arms. He’s waiting at the end of the aisle to hold you tight and tell you how much he loves you.

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10