The Love of a Father

If all goes well, by the end of this week my eldest daughter will be married. It is really strange to see things addressed to Rachel McGinley instead of Rachel Coffey. It makes me feel like she is role playing because deep down she knows she is really a Coffey. But on Friday she will be Mrs. McGinley as surely as my Karen is Mrs. Coffey. This whole process has got me thinking a lot of my father-in-law. What in the world was he thinking when he gave me his daughter's hand nearly 27 years ago? Did he see something in my eyes that allowed him to sleep at night? I would suppose no one has prayed more for me than Karen's dad these last 27 years. I will be praying for Will McGinley for I will be trusting him with a very great treasure come Friday. These past few weeks I have felt the love of a father burning with a greater intensity. I like that for a couple of reasons. First of all, being a father is one of my favorite things in the whole world and then secondly, for just a few moments my heart beats a little closer to God. Out of all the ways God could describe His love for me, He has chosen to use "father". This week I expect to understand a little more about God's love for me as my father even as I place the hand of my precious daughter into the hand of a man who is making a promise to love her even more deeply than I. So, I pray.