Written by Therese Martin, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Washington
My great-granddaughter Ava had been spending the day with “the Nanapapa”. That’s her name for us; not “Nana and Papa”, oh no! We are The Nanapapa, a sort of combined source of hugs and treats and vanilla ice cream. The day was over, and her daddy came to pick her up after work.
“Daddy!” she squealed, running full speed into his legs and wrapping her arms around his knees. He didn’t fall over; he just reached down and picked her up in a loving embrace. She started telling him about her day, and asking if they could stop at her favorite fast-food place on the way home. She was a happy little girl!
I started to wonder; as daughters of God, are we as excited about our Father in heaven as Ava was about her daddy? Spiritually speaking, how often do we do that? How often do we run excitedly towards God, our loving Father, our Abba…our Daddy? How often do we fling our arms around His knees and let Him know we’re so glad to be with him? To be able to bring Him our problems and just say how much we love Him?
As we age, our lives change. We aren’t little girls any more. We are young women, then new brides, then mothers, then busy women juggling full time work, school age children, and maybe caring for our parents. We’re so busy! Then we are older, with all the physical pain that sometimes brings, and often emotional pain as well. We can’t even imagine running!
When we think of ourselves as daughters of God, we forget that he is God of time and space as well as heaven and earth. When we talk to Him, it’s with all the burdens of our present, serious, grown-up selves. It’s the 40, or 50, or even 70-year-old self that comes to talk to her Father, not the four-year-old!
But to God, we are still the four-year-old! Fifty or sixty years was just a second ago. He doesn’t see the wrinkles or sagging skin. That’s just the outfit we are wearing at the moment. He sees the shiny new soul He just made a second ago. To Him, we are His precious little girl. He’s a very proud, excited father who loves to talk with us at every opportunity.
Let’s look at the Easy Reader’s Version of the New Testament for a simplified rendering of that important lesson from Jesus:
““And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come— that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for today. Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. Don’t let us be tempted, but save us from the Evil One.’” (Matthew 6:6-13 ERV)
We have turned that simple process into a rote, memorized formula. What if we look at those principles of prayer from the perspective of a little girl who really loves her Daddy? What might it sound like? It wouldn’t be formal or serious, that’s for sure.
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! There you are! I missed you so much! I love you because you’re so awesome! I wish you were with me all the time so everyone could see you! I wish everyone loved you the way I do! I wish it so much!
Hey, can we get some fries on the way home? I’m really hungry. I want fries every day! Can we have fries every day? Pleeease? Oh, sorry, Daddy, did I step on your foot? I am so sorry I hurted you and gave you an owie, but I love how you always forgive me. I should do that for other people too, huh? Even when I gots an owie? Okay, Daddy, I’ll try. Oh, look, I almost stepped in that hole! Thank you, Daddy, for lifting me up so I didn’t fall. You always take good care of me. You are so wonderful and I love you so much! You’re the bestest daddy forever and ever!”
As we get caught up in the hassles of daily life, the demands on our time, family responsibilities, all the blocks and burdens of normal existence, do we forget who we really, really are? Don’t ever forget you’re Daddy’s little girl, who loves Him so very much and can’t wait till it’s time to go home for reals.
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