The Man and the Girl
There was a man who wanted to adopt a little girl. He loved this little girl with all his heart. He saw her pain and loneliness. He had compassion for her and wanted to show her kindness. He was a wealthy man who wanted to provide for her needs and give her gifts and treasures. His love was pure. He wanted nothing in return but for her to love him and trust him. He wanted a relationship as father and daughter. He wanted to be her rescuer. Her protector. Her Daddy.
But the girl’s life had not been easy. She had been wounded deeply. She had been abandoned and alone. Someone she trusted had hurt her badly. No one protected her so she learned to protect herself. No one cared if her needs were met, so she learned to figure it out for herself or to do without. Brick by brick, she built a wall around her heart and mind. She had to protect herself. She was strong, but inside those walls lived the scared little girl surrounded by the broken pieces of her life.
The girl thought the man was nice enough. She heard all the stories about how kind and good he was. Sometimes she imagined what it would be like if she believed he could really be that good. She wondered if she could trust him, after all. But then she remembered that there were a lot of people who needed help in her city. If he was so wonderful, why didn’t he use his money and his kindness to prevent bad things from happening around him? It occurred to her that this might not be a completely fair accusation, but that thought drifted away as she secured another brick around her heart. How could she trust a man who allowed those bad things to happen when he could prevent them?
The man knew the girl was having trouble trusting him and he understood. He knew he could easily adopt her anyway. But he also knew that if he did that, then he and the girl could never have the love he craved, and she needed between them. Love is a choice that cannot be forced no matter how much the man wanted to be her father. So, he waited for the girl. He was always there, and he often did things to remind her that he saw her and loved her, but never pushed.
Years passed and the man never gave up on the girl. He loved and adopted other children but his love for the girl never wavered. He grieved when she hurt, and he smiled when she succeeded. He saw all her mistakes and he saw her best moments. He also saw behind the wall that she carefully kept in place.
The girl became friends with one of the man’s adopted daughters. She told the girl that the man’s love had saved her. Now, when life was hard or the pain of the past haunted her, she could go to him. They would talk it out and his love gave her peace. She was safe with him and that made all the difference. The girl remembered that the man said he wanted to adopt her, too. But she thought it was too late. She had rejected him, and she did not deserve his forgiveness or love. She brushed it off and reminded herself that she was doing fine on her own. She was a good person, and she had some friends who didn’t push her to let them see the broken parts. She was happy for her friend, but the man was not for her.
Still, the man wanted to make her his daughter. He continued to wait. He knew the choice had to be the girl’s.
The girl continued to go about her life. Things were pretty good, but in the quiet moments, she knew there was something missing. She thought about the man and wondered if she should have trusted him. But she thought it was too late, so she brushed those thoughts aside.
Then, one day she saw him. He smiled at her, and his kindness put a crack in the wall around her heart. She kept running into him. Each encounter caused another crack to weaken the wall. What if she could trust him? What would it be like to be loved for who she really was with no conditions? The man had some rules, but what if those rules were there to protect her? The man’s other children told her it wasn’t too late. He still loved her and wanted to adopt her.
Late one night, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she raised her hand to knock on the man’s door. He flung the door wide open and enveloped her in a hug that felt like nothing she could ever explain in words. The man’s joy at having her join his family was so great that it radiated through him and right into her soul. She knew that her choice to trust him was right. His love was real. He would help her to take down the wall around her heart brick by brick. It would take time and grace, but the man didn’t mind. He already knew everything she did and felt. He had been waiting for her for a long time and he was ready to begin life with her.
We have all been the girl in some way. We all need the love and protection of the father. Jesus made a way for each of us to be adopted into God’s family. Like the father in the story, God will not force us into a relationship with him. Like the girl, the decision to trust him is a personal choice each of us must make for ourselves. The girl in the story had heard about the man all along, but until she trusted him to be her father, her journey toward peace and healing could not begin.
The same is true for me and for you. The father is waiting. If you haven’t chosen to be a part of God’s family, know that his love is real and that he really is trustworthy.
If you are already God’s daughter, I want to encourage you to spend time with your father each day. Remember to trust him and to step into his peace. If you mess up, run to him. Come as you are. He wants nothing from you but for you to love him and trust his perfect love for you. His corrections are gentle, and his grace never runs out. He knows the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives. If you let him, he will use it all for your good and his glory. I am so grateful that there is room at the table for all of us who choose to be a part of God’s family.
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