Last time, we saw the distress and subsequent initiative of a father toward his daughter. Today, we’re going see the resolution.
He pulled into the drive, sat there for a minute with engine running, and took a deep breath. He slowly turned the key and the engine died. The radio was still playing as he took in another deep breath. It was just background noise, and continued its rhythmic sounds as he sat there. He looked up through the windshield and could see the garage door was open.
It had been a long drive. For most of the journey he was lost in his thoughts. The occasional stop for necessities broke up the monotony, but his focus was west…on seeing his daughter and young son…his grandson. During the many hours on the road he oscillated between memories of his daughter as a young girl and the last time they had seen each other. Emotions came in waves. Regret gave way to laughter, which gave way to sadness, and then to hope. Up and down he went in thought until he pulled into her drive.
The weather was nice. It was a cool 75 degrees. The summer was slowly turning into fall and the anticipation of another Thanksgiving was on the horizon. There was a lot he had to be thankful for outside of this challenging relationship.
His four other children were on a path of faith. Their Christian walk had been different from each other, but they were nevertheless pursuing a better way than what their peers and the world offered. In fact, there was one story that made him proud and humbled. His second born (son) and third born (daughter) had recently finished serving an entire summer alongside a missions agency affiliated with their church. He and his sister had served together to help with an orphanage run by a collection of indigenous leaders. He remembers his son and daughter recounting the story to he and his wife while on break from college:
They had arrived home late one night when a call came. The call was to help with a minor fire that had broken out in the kitchen that evening. The orphanage had not been prepared nor set up for the consequences of such an event. His son, with some basic volunteer firefighter experience at home, had responded with poise and servant-leadership. His daughter, also with some volunteer experience at a local animal care clinic, responded with care and attention to detail. Together, they helped the local leaders put out the fire, reorganize and establish a make-shift kitchen, and cooked and handed out meals for the remainder of their summer mission. It wasn’t something they had planned to do while there, but it was what was presented and they answered the need with both expertise and humility.
Looking up again, he saw her car in the garage. He wasn’t sad anymore. This emotion had given way to rest and peace. He knew it was time. Years had passed, and things were different. By now, the radio had turned off and he was sitting there in silence. He reached for the door, pulled the handle, he eased up and out. As he began to stand upright, he looked over and saw the front door open. His grandson came running toward him…grinning from ear to ear. His hair was dusty blonde and full of curls. He had on a little t-shirt, and his shorts were swaying back and forth on his little legs as he ran full speed toward him. As he approached his grandfather he jumped–holding his arms out wide for his grandfather to catch him mid-air.
He had to bend down low to catch his little grandson, as he was now fully in his arms. He held him in an embrace that he will never forget. His grandson’s arms had wrapped themselves around his neck and he could feel his little forearms gripping him tight. He closed his eyes and just hugged him there. Tears began to fill his eyes. A knot formed in his throat.
After a moment he opened his eyes and saw his grandson looking into his face with a massive smile. Looking past his grandson’s face, he noticed a figure in the window. He immediately recognized his daughter. Her hair was pulled back and she was standing staring at him and her son in an embrace. Her left arm was across her chest holding up the elbow of her other arm whose hand was gently resting on her cheek. She was clearly smiling and had tender tears rolling down her soft cheeks. She had longed to see this day, and now it was here.
The day she and her boyfriend had left her father and friends standing there at her friend’s house was a day that she thought back on many times. Since then, her boyfriend and not only treated her wrong, but had left her for another girl that he met while he was working to help them pay for rent and the new responsibility of their child after she had gotten pregnant.
When he left her, pregnant and all alone, she could only think about her dad. He would have never left her. He had always fought for her. He was strong. They may have clashed, but her dad had grit and he was a man of commitment. This so-called boyfriend of hers was nice enough, but he was weak. He showed it when everything hit the fan. It was then that she realized how much her dad loved her.
Regret had filled her heart and sadness was like a torrential storm never lifting from her day after day. She had to work two jobs to make ends meet. She had enrolled in an evening class to get her GED, but the pain would rarely subside. When she had finished her GED, her son was born, and she kept diligently working. After settling in to motherhood, she enrolled in a local community college to start on her degree toward nursing. She was bright and excelled in her course work, but she was often tired at the start of each work day. Her son was still young, and she was a good mother. They had their morning and evening routines. While mornings were the hardest (having to drop him off at daycare), the evenings were the most delightful for them both. They played in the parks, hiked in the surrounding trails, and enjoyed dipping their feet in the ocean. He was full of life, and she was proud to be his mother.
One Sunday, she found the strength to attend a church in her area. She was nervous (usually having social anxiety), but she was going to be courageous. The greeter was kind, and the usher was the same. The songs were inspiring and helpful for her. The message was biblical and reassuring. She felt like she was connecting with her past…with the way things used to be. She came back Sunday after Sunday until she finally committed and became a member. She started praying again and even reading her Bible. And then her dad texted… “Can I come and see you?” Of course, she thought. “Yes. Please come,” she replied.
She walked through the front door. Her son–now four years old–ran back to her and hugged her legs. She looked down at him and then back up at her dad. She smiled. She knew things were going to be better. She knew her dad loved her. He had aged. He looked older. However, he looked kind. Time had made him gentle. She saw his strength. She could see it in his eyes. He smiled with his eyes. There they stood. Father and daughter. He looked at his grandson hugging his mother’s (his daughter’s) legs. He remembered when she used to do that to him. He thought back to the evenings when he would get in from work and she would be the first to greet him at the door with a million hugs, a million smiles, and a million questions. What a beautiful mother she had become. What a beautiful and strong woman. His daughter. He was proud of her. And he told her.
“I’m proud of you,” he said in a way that only a father could say to his daughter and her actually believe it. She knew what he meant. She received it. She felt proud that he was proud of her. Her heart was warm and her stomach wasn’t in knots. She was happy. It was a feeling she hadn’t known for a long time.
She looked at him and then looked down at her son. They had been a pair. The two of them. She loved him with her whole heart. And so, she grabbed him by the hand and walked toward her dad.
Slowly, she walked toward him. Then, like the little girl that used to come running to him and hug his legs, she picked up her pace to almost a trot as she drew closer toward him. He stepped forward and they embraced. He held her for what seemed like an eternity. She didn’t let go. Her head turned to the side and rested on his shoulder. His cheek was rested on the top side of her head. Her son hugged them both by the legs. His head was rested on his mommy’s legs.
Her fog was lifting, and she had hope–something that had merely only been a flicker for so many years. She had hope, and she let her dad know.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry! Please forgive me.” she said. His reply was genuine and heart-felt: “My sweet daughter. I forgive you. I am so sorry. Please forgive me.” “I forgive you,” she kindly replied.
She invited him in, and they made plans for their return trip back home.
Nothing had changed, yet nothing would ever be the same. She was safe. She was happy. He was satisfied. He was restored.
A family brought back together in love and humility. A family a lot like many of ours.
A family in displaying…
- Love… “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Ephesians 5:1-2
–and–
- Humility… “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:4-5
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Matthew 5:23-24
— November 24, 2021