Daddy, Where Are You?

Not too long I woke up in middle of the night with a start. I heard crying. I had no idea how long it had been going on, but I knew instantly from where it came. I jumped out of bed and hurried to my youngest daughter’s room. My baby girl sat in her bed sobbing inconsolably – she’s 6 years old, but she’ll always be my baby girl.

I could tell she was in a lot of pain. “I’m so sorry sweetie. I hope you haven’t been up too long.” I had felt that same pain 4 years early when I had my own tonsils removed via a tonsillectomy. It is extremely painful as an adult. Not that my young child’s pain was any less real and intense. I felt for her.

Wrapping my arms around her for comfort I said I would be back with some pain medicine real quick to help her feel better. After administering her pain meds, I grabbed my pillow and a blanket to lay by her for the long haul.

She continued to sob and my heart felt immense compassion as I lay besides her unable to remove the pain. I offered a silent prayer on her behalf. I wanted more than anything to take that pain from her, but ultimately she would have to get through it. Her sobbing soon changed to a whimper. I had prepared for a longer, sleepless night; however, she was exhausted and the medicine took effect quickly to help her drift back to sleep.

Laying awake in the dead, dark of night, my mind felt sharp and awake. In that moment, all that mattered was my family: My girl, my other kids, my wife; and my thoughts turned to a loving Father in Heaven. Interestingly, I felt a deeper connection to what was really important in life. Other superfluous ‘things’ did not matter.

In all the hustle and busyness of life it feels good to re-center and slowdown every once in a while. I believe it is essential. I’m sure we all find ourselves in those types of moments, at various points in our lives. These situations can help to realign us with Diety, with our families, with the important things in life, if we take the time and allow it to.

I’m not suggesting that I wish pain and hurt on anyone, or hard experiences to temper us. The reality is that these things are a part of Life. My hope is that when these experiences come, that we can humble ourselves enough to reconnect with what is truly important.

My little girl, who recently cried out in the middle of the night from pain, used to call out to me early in the morning as a toddler, “Daddeeee! Daddeee, can you come get me!? Dadeeee, where are you?” She hadn’t figured out how to get out of her crib and every morning, like clockwork, called for me to come and help her get out.

I’m sure most parents would want to be there when their child calls for help. In our darkest of moments. In times of hurt and anxiety. In those moments where we find ourselves in tears and feeling alone; just as I ran to comfort my little girl or help her out of the crib, I’m confident a loving Father in Heaven is there for us even when it feels like no one else is around.

Sometimes we may feel those words unspoken, “Heavenly Mommy or Daddy, where are you?” They are there. He is there. It may not always be the timing or manifestation we want but I know a Loving Father is there for us when we need His help, when we need comfort. I know because He’s been there for me in my dark moments. Would you not be there for your own child when they call out in the dark of night?

(Note: I originally wrote this post over a week ago before we were all quarantined due to Coronavirus. It has been sitting in my backlog of posts and I got the time and felt to finally get it posted now. Interesting on the timing. Hopefully we take this as one of those opportune moments to slow down.)