Daddy's Minute

M

y parents and I are very close.  We discuss just about everything and there is rarely a week that goes by that I don’t call them at least two or three times just to check in and catch up on all that’s going on at home. The week of the Superbowl game in which the Carolina Panthers lost was no different and no, we are still not talking it! We caught up on family news, mom and I exchanged ideas for recipes and daddy wanted to speak to me for just a minute!

Daddy’s minute, however, was very special.  He had been meaning to tell me something for several weeks but hadn’t gotten around to telling me what it was. Work has kept him very busy and sometimes you just can’t remember everything you want to say.  Finally, though, he was able to tell me something that I really appreciated.

Daddy wanted to share a piece of himself with me by telling me about a moment from his childhood.  He told me the names of several people I knew and how they had played a part in his life as a small boy.  As I listened to his voice, I could tell how important those people were to him and how much he wanted me to understand this part of his life. When he finished the conversation he reiterated this point to me.  He wanted to share all that so I would understand him and know him better.  He told me he had more things to tell me and I can’t wait to hear them.

There is something special when people share their hearts with you, when you know that what they are telling is real and actually shaped them into the people they are today.  Understanding these moments and learning from them opens up a new window into these people’s lives and provides a more wonderful and deeper perspective than before.  I have thought all week about what daddy shared with me and I will be thinking about it for several weeks to come.

Do you realize that this is exactly the type of relationship God wants to have with us?  He so wants to share His heart and secret things about Himself.  He wants to do this so we will know Him and relate to Him on a deep level.  God will reveal as much of Himself to us as we want, the question is how much of Him do we desire?

In John 17:3, Jesus makes the following statement, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  What a powerful statement this is.  Eternal life is much more than living forever, it is knowing God in all His fullness, in all His power, in all His majesty, and in all His grace.  Eternal life is meant to be a relationship where we learn all we can about God and His son, Jesus Christ.

This past week, daddy’s minute opened up an entirely new understanding and appreciation for my father.  He opened his heart and shared just a small portion of himself but what a wonderful feeling and sense of joy it gave me.  Just imagine how much more wonderful it is when we allow God to share Himself with us, to teach us things that will deepen our love for Him.  When you open God’s word and read it, you are actually opening God’s heart, allowing Him to share Himself with you.  Have you spent a minute with your Heavenly Father today?