Restoring the Relationship

A father and his daughter had a very close relationship and they spent a great deal of time in each other’s company. Then one day, the father noticed a change in his daughter’s behavior. If he suggested they go for a walk, she excused herself from going. If he offered an ice cream treat at a nearby soda shop, she declined the offer, but encouraged him to go on. If he said he was about to drive through the countryside on errands—an activity she had dearly loved—she gave some reason why she couldn’t go.

The father searched his heart and memory for an incident which might have breached their relationship, but could find no reason for her behavior.

When his birthday came, she proudly presented him with a pair of exquisitely knitted slippers. “I made these by myself, just for you,” she said. In that moment, he understood where she had been for the past three months. He said to her, “My darling daughter, I like these slippers very much, but next time, let me buy slippers so I can spend with you all the hours you worked on them. I would rather have the joy of your company than anything you can make for me.”

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He much prefers the pleasure of our presence than any work or good deed we might present to Him. I love that song “In the Garden” which says, “And he walks with me and he talks with me; and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

There’s someone read this who once had a relationship with the Heavenly Father, but that relationship has been broken. I want to tell you today that God is waiting for you to return. He loves you and wants that relationship restored. 

He’ll help you take the first step—if you just ask Him.