The same way a loving father feels toward his children—that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, your beloved children, who live in awe of you. Psalm 103:13 TPT

I was thinking of how much God loves me, how gracious and merciful He is every single day. I’m so grateful. Lord knows I don’t deserve it–none of us do! Yet it’s that very love that we long for. It’s that love that we keeps us seeking to find a way to be near to Him.

My daddy loved his girls! We adopted my brother 4 months before he died, but he was very proud to finally have a son. I was the ‘middle’ child, always in trouble, always pushing the limits, trying his patience. But I never, ever doubted that he loved me.

He mostly loved me with the paddle, but just as Solomon said; If you withhold correction and punishment from your children, you demonstrate a lack of true love. So prove your love and be prompt to punish them. Yeah, I definitely showed he loved me!

So I’m in awe of a God who doesn’t let me get away with anything, but constantly and consistently proves He loves me and desires me to be the best human I can be. My daddy has been out of the picture for over 52 years, but I miss his hugs and his discipline. He was in no wise perfect, but he left me in the care of a heavenly Father who is a perfect Father.

But Lord, your endless love stretches from one eternity to the other, unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you and those who bow facedown in awe before you.
Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond. Psalm 103:17