In The Father's Eyes

                                                                               In The Father’s Eyes

                                                                                  Pastor Cho’s letter  

It was not easy saying goodbye to our daughter who was just offered a job in Evansville, Indiana.  “Where is that?” you ask. That’s exactly what I asked. It’s at the southernmost part of Indiana, bordering Kentucky. In the middle of nowhere! My wife and I helped our daughter pack her bags, and prepared to leave for Evansville. Honestly, I was a little nervous about the whole thing, no matter how good the job offer was.  So off we went. I’m not a fan of driving long distances, so I was already bent out of shape that we’d be on the road 12 hours. I was right to have a foul demeanor about this because during the trip we detoured through 2 major road constructions, 3 thunderstorms, and we hit a raccoon. Don’t panic, it was already dead in the middle of the road, but it damaged part of my bumper which I had to fix later. To top it off, as we rolled into Evansville, we were greeted by a huge storm. I couldn’t believe how powerful this was – hurricane-like winds, pounding rain, and debris flying everywhere. I thought I was in Kansas - no offense to Kansas. All the cars were pulled over to the side, but not me. I’m from Syracuse - I eat inclement weather for breakfast. I remember praying under my breath, “Oh Lord, is this a sign? Are you trying to tell us to turn around and go back to Syracuse with our daughter?” We found out later that that was an unusually strong storm that toppled trees and caused power outages in various parts of the city. But my daughter took it all in stride. How naïve!   Me? I could not take it in stride. Frankly, I was downright nervous. This was her first trip to Evansville, along with a host of other firsts; first apartment, first job, first car, and first time living away from home. As a father, I was uneasy and justifiably cynical. The world can be a dangerous place, especially for inexperienced young ladies. I attempted to prepare her for the real world. I told her to close all blinds at night, to always lock the front door, to never go out after dark, to never venture out during thunder storms, and to not trust anyone, not even neighbors. I briefed her on what to do if the car breaks down, if it doesn’t start, or if she gets into an accident. I walked her through what to do for tornado warnings, how to shut off the water in case of water leaks, and gas shutoff for gas leaks. Then I quizzed her to make sure she was listening. I still wasn’t convinced that she was quite ready for the ‘miss independent’ life. It was not easy saying goodbye. You don’t have to have a daughter to understand this. It’s always difficult to let go of someone for whom you care so deeply. Love is not an overly-sheltered life but rather a life that takes chances by pushing the envelope of growth and transformation so that life bears fruits of the Spirit.  So I said goodbye reminding her that I will be with her every step of the way… through Facetime!  This experience gave me a renewed appreciation of the Father’s courage when he sent His only begotten Son to this world. I wonder how difficult it must have been for the Him to say goodbye to His Son. What was it like to spend the last day in heaven with Jesus before He was sent to be conceived in Mary? I think I am beginning to understand the price of love. What blows me away is that the Father sees us in the same way. He loved us and accepted us as His very own children before we came to be (Eph. 1:5). Our life was never promised to be trouble-free, but He did promise it to be worry-free. Just remember that He’ll never leave us or forsake us no matter what happens (Deut. 31:6). We can find security and comfort in Him. We are constantly in the Father’s eyes. Remember to Facetime Him!