The heart of God

I was challenged and humbled today. My four year old, Bella, was used to speak to my heart by the Lord. Possibly, you can see the coralations between a conversation that she and I had and the heart of the Father. Bella didn't want to do what I had asked. It wasn't a power-trip thing or even just a I didn't want to do what I was asking her to do thing. Like an old western written by Louis Lamore, the standoff began. She didn't want to do what I had asked. I didn't want to be inconsistent as a father. The duel lines were drawn. It was at this moment that "the grace of God that instructs (Titus 2:11)" got me good. His grace reminded of something that I had recently read, I decided to act as an agent of redemption.

I knelt down in front of her at eye level and said,

"Please look at Daddy’s face. Do you know how much I love you? Do you know that your Daddy is not a mean, bad man? Do you know that I would never ask you to do anything that would hurt you or make you sick? I am sorry that you can’t understand why Daddy is asking you to do this. I wish I could explain it to you, but you are too young to understand. So I am going to ask you to do something—trust Daddy. When you walk down the hallway to do what Daddy has asked you to do, say to yourself, ‘My Daddy loves me. My Daddy would never ask me to do something bad. I am going to trust my Daddy and stop trying to be the Daddy of my Daddy.’"

Graciously, the Lord has used this opportunity to reveal what He was really speaking to my heart. God's pretty good at being a good God. A good, 'ole Italian tear fest ensued afterward. Amidst the sloppy cry (shoulders heaving) I uttered, "Father, I'm going to trust you. Forgive me for trying to be the father of my Father."