Who's your daddy?

Much to the chagrin of mothers and the pride of fathers, "da-da" is one of the first sounds a baby starts to utter when they discover their voice. As they grow up and mature, "da-da" also matures into such names as daddy, father, papa, pa, pop, old man...Sadly, some may utter the sound but never know their real Father.

Before I was five my parents were divorced and my two sisters and I received periodic visits from our father. My dad had a brother and three sisters and I recall many fun family gatherings with them and our many cousins. Summer gatherings were spent under a huge tree in my grandmother's yard with family members laughing and rocking in metal chairs while all of us kids ran around exploring hidden treasures.

The yard was huge and there was always something of intrigue. I remember the antique washer, which at that time was an antique but still used by my grandmother. There was also  a pedal sharpening wheel mounted with a tractor seat, an old bus and a workshop with a storage room full of treasures that today would make any "Antiques Roadshow" viewer ecstatic to find.

When I was nine my mother remarried and I inherited a stepfather and three more sisters. We were the all female "Brady bunch family!" My stepfather is a wonderful man who was not only a good husband for our mother but also filled the daily role of a father figure. We were all living in a four bedroom apartment and the common courtyard was our "playground." It was there that I was playing when I looked up one day to see someone walking towards me...I excitedly ran up to him to hug him exclaiming, "Uncle Merle!" Mutually surprised, I heard him say, "No honey, it's Daddy!"

I stood there looking confused. I don't know how long it had been since I had seen him last but it must have been a while. He had gained some weight and to my young eyes looked more like his brother than my dad.

Today, thanks to Jesus, I am no longer confused about who my true Father is.  In John 10: 27-30 (NIV) Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Some aren't as blessed as I have been and don't have one, let alone two earthly father figures, but for everyone Jesus offers us a Father God, who is always there, never changing, always loving us, always guiding us, and full of blessings, grace and mercy. He also has plenty of stored up treasures awaiting our arrival. All I can humbly say is "Thanks Da-Da!"