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Father’s Eyes

/ landoncollard / 6 Comments

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How do I describe what I see when I look at this picture?

Beauty? Absolutely. Joy? For sure. Love? Friendship? Connection? Simplicity? Peace? Yes! All of that.

But for me, there’s so much more. I see my daughter who is turning into an amazing young woman right before my eyes. At once, I’m filled with pride, excitement and unbelievable satisfaction. I’m torn between the joy of the moment, the memory of what used to be and the immediate future of what’s to come. I have visions of the little girl who used to stare Button, our beautiful boxer, in the eyes when she stood up. And now, take a look, she has to get on her knees to get a hug from her buddy. Seeing this, I realize that when we have traveled the same distance again, I will be staring directly into the eyes of a grown young woman.

And I wonder…

What will I see then? More than that – what will you see then? Will you see beauty? Joy? Love? Friendship? Connection? Simplicity? Peace?

Will you see what God made her to be? Will you value her as he does? Will you fight for her freedom? Will you love her sacrificially?

When teaching us how to relate to each other, Jesus said: “So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do unto you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12.) So I can’t help but ask, how are we doing concerning the daughters of our world? On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade out on your treatment of beautiful young women in our culture?

Jesus would and has given everything for them. How about you?

 

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Reckless Pursuit: Ch. 7 – I’ve Got A Surprise For You

/ landoncollard / 2 Comments

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Meet Kristen! Beautiful isn’t she!

She’s the amazing woman I’ve had the privilege to be married to for 16 1/2 years. Every day with her is a new adventure. Sometimes, it’s the new project she’s dreaming up. Sometimes, it’s the challenge of parenting alongside her. Sometimes, the joy of date night.

I love this woman and I love being married to her. There is never a dull moment with her. There is always something new and exciting. Another adventure.

Every once in a while, I intentionally change our routine in order to show her what she means to me. I lead her into an adventure of my creation. Shower her with little surprises. Little gifts that communicate my love.

The following is a snapshot excerpt of the upcoming book…

Reckless Pursuit: God’s Story of Relentless Love – Chapter 7: I’ve Got A Surprise For You

                  I wish I could tell you that my overwhelming love for Kristen just naturally led me to want to shower her with gifts. But I can’t. Instead, I gave to her because that’s what you do to show people you love them. She found a red dress hanging in the bathroom of our honeymoon suite because I heard about some brides getting wedding gifts from their husbands and I thought it was a good idea. I wrote a poem, had it framed and wrapped it up for her to open at Christmas, just five days later. I gave her gifts and wanted to express my love and then simply moved on to the next thing.

                  But Kristen doesn’t function that way. Gift-giving is an art form for her. She studies people, noticing what they like. Learning their style and their interests. She listens for clues in their speech, in their clothing and even in their home décor. When the time comes to give them a gift, she nails it. She seems to know exactly what they need, often when they haven’t even thought of it yet (I have benefited from this many times myself).

Reckless Pursuit is currently being prepared for publishing. It will be made available to the public early this fall. Keep coming back here for more updates and teasers.

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