This is a break from my regularly scheduled programming, but I felt like I needed to share this. You may know that I’m a proud dad, to a soon-to-be 3 month old. The kid is awesome (pictured above). In recent weeks he has given me his first gift, something that will stick with me until the end of my life. This particularly gift also reinforced something about God. He desperately wants us to know him.

All parents will attest to the fact that the first few months of their kid’s life are pretty rough. They don’t look at you. They don’t smile. They don’t laugh. It seems like it lasts forever. It depressed me. I was the giver of gifts that went unnoticed. He didn’t thank me or pat me on the back. Not even the slightest acknowledgement. To boot, there was a lot of crying. I felt extremely disconnected. The dream I had many years ago of what it would feel like to be a Dad seemed like a complete fantasy. Maybe I wasn’t the father-type after all. Being a Dad seemed like a pretty raw deal.

However, two weeks ago, all of this changed. Isaac knows me. He recognizes me, looks for me, expects me. I’ve never felt anything like it. It is overwhelming. He looks at me and gives me that little, crooked smile. Without words he is telling me, “I love you Dad”. It’s what I’ve longed for since he was born. Maybe I’m being a little melodramatic about it, but I feel deeply connected to my son. We have a relationship and I’m excited about all of the years ahead.

There are no words for that bond. It just floods over you.

Sitting in church yesterday I reflected on my struggle as a new Dad and thought about how God must feel. I do believe that we bear the “image” of God. We are like Him. God feels like us and in that I can identify with His desire to be known. I know what it feels like to long, not for something, but for someone, who I love deeply to know me. Even though God can see the full scope of time, I bet he longs for that moment we first acknowledge Him. There is nothing sweeter and more fulfilling. It’s the win of having kids and I’m sure it’s also the win of being the Creator.