The Father’s Love

In a hospital room in Greenville S.C on June 20, 1987, I caught my first glimpse of God’s heart toward me.  That was the day Caroline, our oldest daughter, was born.  I was the first person to hold her.  She was so tiny.  Her eyes were wide open, taking in the new world she was just born into.  She was beautiful.  She was my little princess. Just then, the nurse reached out to take her away from me.  She gave some lame excuse about needing to clean her up.  I really didn’t notice she needed to be cleaned up.  OK, so she had a bunch of red jelly all over her.  I still thought she looked beautiful.  When the nurse took her, she started to cry, and my heart broke.  Then the nurse pricked her little foot and drew some blood.  Caroline cried again.  I was a complete wreck.  But I knew that this was all for her good.   As I was watching all this take place, the nurse looked over at me and noticed the tears in my eyes.  She said, “Mr. Harris, would you like to wait outside while I perform these tests?  It might be easier on you.”  “Are you kidding me?”  I said.  “I’m her dad!  An entire army couldn’t drag me away from her right now!”   It was in that moment that I realized how much God cares for me.     

“And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’“

(Deuteronomy 1:31, NLT)