I am a Daughter because The Lord Declares I'm His Child

Dad and me on my first overnight backpack hiking trip at Beehive Basin above Big Sky, MT.

My dad was a pastor, and sometimes I felt I had to share my dad's time with the church and their kids' sports events. Despite that, Dad was intentional in having "Dad and Daughter" dates with me through junior high and high school. We had the majority of our dates at Pizza Hut and we'd each get a personal pan pizza, or we'd sometimes eat at a Chinese cuisine restaurant. We talked about school, any interest I might have had in boys, our relationship with God, and what he was working on for that week's sermon. Meal dates decreased as I moved away for college and post-college, but our conversations still existed throughout times driving together for doctor appointments, hand waxing my car, and hiking trips.

Looking back at my time as a pastor's kid, I realized Dad still made me a priority and enjoyed spending time with me. Yes, we ate out together, but he always picked up the phone whenever I called. One time I called him not realizing he was in the middle of a meeting, and he stepped away to answer my call. I knew from that one call I could always call my dad, and if he was near his phone - no matter what he wase doing - he would pick up.

The Lord, like my dad, enjoys spending time with me. When I was younger and lived on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, we (The Lord and I) played Monoply together, played dress up in Mom's old dresses, and 'ran away' from home into the backyard's tree patches. Unlike my dad, the Lord's attention was not split between me and others but fully on me. If I felt slighted by a classmate's comments, He was there to comfort me in the same moment; if I was lonely, He was there showing me He would never leave me; if I had to make a decision but was unsure which way to go, He was there to give me guidance. When I called out to Him, He always answered in one way or another.

If it weren't for Jesus, I wouldn't be crafted into the Lord's kids and be able to call upon Him like a Father. I am the Lord's Daughter because God - through Jesus - declares I am His kid.

~ ~ ~

Your turn.

Who are you because of the Lord through the letter 'D'?

Romans 8:12-17 (ESV)

Abba - Michelle Danae