Long before the actual moment you were born I loved you, and my heart has since remained seemingly entwined within everything that you are. The first time I saw your face, all red and wrinkled, misty tears filled my eyes. You are something of my own, a part of me, and our hearts and minds have always seemed to cooperate together and ponder upon the same things.
The years have gone by now, and I am older, as are you. And the time has come for you to leave. Allegories about cocoons and butterflies would only be wasted words written here, for you have always been beautiful. For so long you have been ‘my world’ that now it seems ironic that I have to let you go and share you with ‘the world’. By the way, there is no doubt in my mind that you will do wonderfully well out there.
The trip will be a long one. It always is when you are ‘looking for space and to find out who you are’, to quote one of my favorite songwriters. You have all the mental and physical tools to make your journey, and if I wasn’t assured of it I would be reticent to release you and send you along your way. Spiritually I’ll never cease to be amazed by you; you hold firm to what you have been taught and most of all, to your faith and what you believe.
Still, before you walk out to your car and sail away to the other side of the rainbow, there are yet a few more things that I need, as your father, to remind you of.
1. Number one and always first and foremost – never forget that I am your ‘daddy’. Daddies are much more important than fathers. A daddy tries harder to understand his daughter, and he always wants to be there even when he knows he cannot be. A daddy will cry, even if it is in a secret place where no one knows he’s doing so.
The years have gone by now, and I am older, as are you. And the time has come for you to leave. Allegories about cocoons and butterflies would only be wasted words written here, for you have always been beautiful. For so long you have been ‘my world’ that now it seems ironic that I have to let you go and share you with ‘the world’. By the way, there is no doubt in my mind that you will do wonderfully well out there.
The trip will be a long one. It always is when you are ‘looking for space and to find out who you are’, to quote one of my favorite songwriters. You have all the mental and physical tools to make your journey, and if I wasn’t assured of it I would be reticent to release you and send you along your way. Spiritually I’ll never cease to be amazed by you; you hold firm to what you have been taught and most of all, to your faith and what you believe.
Still, before you walk out to your car and sail away to the other side of the rainbow, there are yet a few more things that I need, as your father, to remind you of.
1. Number one and always first and foremost – never forget that I am your ‘daddy’. Daddies are much more important than fathers. A daddy tries harder to understand his daughter, and he always wants to be there even when he knows he cannot be. A daddy will cry, even if it is in a secret place where no one knows he’s doing so.
2. I’m not supposed to say it, but you can always come home and regroup and that offer is a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week promise. If the world gets too rough and you need to lick your wounds and recoup your losses there is no better place to do so than home. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.
3. No wooden nickels. Satan will come to you in many forms with many extravagant offers and promises. If you examine those things closely and remember God’s Word, you will recognize that they are worthless. Try not to learn that lesson after the fact.
4. Come home for church. Read your Bible. Pray daily. Ask the Lord for guidance and if you are sincerely looking for Him, he will direct your paths. You will have a lot of trails laid out in front of you and choosing the right one is important. Allowing Him to help you choose is sure prevention for getting off the right paths in the first place.
5. Be careful - everyone you meet will not always have the best intentions. If Satan cannot touch you spiritually it is not beneath him to attack you mentally or physically. Always go with a friend, stay in well-lit places after dark, and keep your cell-phone handy!
6. Most of all, if you find yourself unable to obtain any of the lofty goals you have set for yourself, I will always be proud of you regardless.
God has His eyes on you and created you for a purpose. My thoughts and hopes pale in comparison to the things I know that he desires for you. Knowing this is fact, you need to remember to try and be the very best you can in whatever you decide to do.
In the book of Esther, she found herself on the precipice of making her mark as high as a woman could go in a kingdom back then. There was a catch; making it to the top might require her to abandon her family, her people, and her faith. I do not know her mindset at that exact point in time because the Bible does not say. However you can read within the words that she was torn about what to do. Her uncle, Mordecai, reminded her that making the right choice is always the most important choice:
"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 5:14
God may have placed you where you are at this exact time and place for a special purpose; for such a time as this. In fact, I know that He has. Ponder this thought as you go out into a world that is spread wide-open before you.
I’ll always love you, and I'll never cease to be proud of you.
My Little Gooter
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