"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer..." 1 Peter 3:12a (NIV)
I can still see the look in his eyes. When my daughter was four years old, we went to Texas City, Texas to visit my parents and my aunt and uncle. One of the things I wanted to do was to take her to Galveston to see the beach and the ocean. On the evening that we chose to go, my father, who never wanted to miss a moment with his first grandchild, decided to ride along.
Before we got to the beach, she spotted a roadside carnival and began asking if we could go there after the beach. She liked the sand and all the water, but she was most excited about stopping to have some fun on the way home. Being that I also always loved carnivals, we stopped.
She rode the Merry-Go-Round and a couple of other rides meant for young children. We played a couple of the games and had some cotton candy. She was curious about the Ferris Wheel so I asked the man who was running it if it would be safe for me to take her for a ride, as I am always concerned about my weight causing a problem. After giving me the history of the wheel, he assured me it was more than sturdy enough.
Now my father had never liked this particular ride. He didn't trust it and he surely did not want his daughter and granddaughter on it. He told me he didn't think it was a good idea and he asked me to please reconsider. However, by this time my daughter was excited and, frankly, so was I. After taking our seat and as the wheel started moving, I looked at my father and saw distress. He was so worried.
When I recalled this incident the other day, I began thinking about our Heavenly Father and how diligent He is to watch His children. Psalm 139 tells us that He is always aware of what we are doing, so I wonder what the look would be in His eyes when we put ourselves in danger or engage in sinful activities.
The look in my dad's eyes came from his love for us. If our parents love us that much, just think how incredible the love of God is! I didn't honor Daddy's request and it hurt him because he was trying to keep us safe. When we fail to follow the Lord's leading, we have to be aware that we are choosing our own path rather than staying under the protected cover of His wings.
Thankfully, nothing happened to us that evening. Were I to have the chance to relive the moment, I would take my father's advice because now I understand that, in his wisdom, he knew that I was putting both myself and my daughter in avoidable danger. With age comes a deeper understanding of the frailty of life. I am so grateful for his deep love and that the Lord chose that precious man to raise me. And I am astounded by what the Father has taught me about Himself through my time with my dad.
Lord, thank you that your eyes are always on us. How I'd love to see the look of love that you have for each of your children.
"I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me." 💓
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