looking upI don’t ever remember a time that I didn’t look up to my dad. The fact that he is 6’4″ is one reason that looking up to him is all I can do. As a little girl, I remember pressing my bare feet on top of his feet as he led me in a dance of gentle swaying. As a high school girl, I stared into my daddy’s eyes as he crowned me with a laurel wreath symbolizing a rite of passage into adulthood. The pride in my dad’s eyes is something I will never forget.  As a grown woman, I still find myself captivated when looking into my dad’s eyes as the wisdom and life experiences of 94 years are reflected back to me.

looking up

 

Looking up becomes our life goal. Seeking the next big thing, striving for success, or setting the stage for the next life phase. But all of these worldly goals end in worldly results. Looking up when seeking Godly goals will require a looking in, listening well and learning to live life with a sense of purpose.

Each time I have leaned in and looked up into my dad’s eyes, I have learned something new. The lesson of remaining calm in all situations. The acts of love that my dad bestows on those around him. How to listen well. Showing others what it looks like to be truly interested in what they are saying. Subtle reminders that God is first, and family is second. Every lesson draws me closer in the hopes that they will rub off on me. Each nuance is carefully recorded in my heart so I can capture the essence of living my life well as long as God ordains it. Looking up to my own daddy bears similarities to looking up into our Heavenly Father’s eyes.

We claim our lives have purpose when we achieve a major milestone, but do we gain the same satisfaction in this accomplishment as we do as a child of God? When we lean in, listen and learn from our earthly dads, are we gaining the same sense of purpose that we receive when we surrender ourselves to our Heavenly Father?

We learn in Proverbs that…

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

Seeking to achieve goals for our own gain never brings the desired fulfillment that we envision. When we turn that around and let God’s plan become our ultimate goal, we will secure contentment.

Timothy shares these wise words:

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 1 Timothy 6:3-7

Living with intentionality and seeking to love others well, as Jesus did, provides a sense of purpose in our everyday. It is a chance to gain God rather than be ruled by the world. It is our call to live life leaning in close, listening as if no one else is in the room, and  learning the lesson of contentment that comes from God. A life well-lived is a life seeking God’s plan first and our agendas second.

 

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I am a lover of learning, reading, coffee, chocolate and long walks. A vacation at the beach is my first choice, but exploring God’s beauty anywhere tugs constantly at my heart. I am an amateur photographer with either a camera over my shoulder or my I-phone in my pocket. Capturing the moment means that there is a lot of stopping along the way, but slow and steady is the way to go.

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