LONGER, DADDY…LONGER
(Gary Smalley and John Trent, from Leaving The Light On)

Recently, a woman grabbed my arm at a conference after I had finished speaking on the enormous need we all have for affirmation.

‘Dr Trent, may I tell you my story?” she asked. “Actually, it’s a story of something my son did with my granddaughter that illustrates what you’ve been talking about – the importance of affirmation.

“My son has 2 daughters, one who’s five and one who is in the ‘terrible twos,” believe me, she is!

“For several years, my son has taken the oldest girl out for a ‘date’ time, but he had never taken the 2-year-old until recently. On his 1st ‘date’ with the younger one, he took her out to breakfast at a local fast-food restaurant.

“They had just gotten their pancakes and my son decided it would be a good time to tell this child how much he loved and appreciated her.”

‘Jenny,” her son has said, “I want you to know how much I love you, and how special you are to Mom and me. We prayed for you for years, and now that you’re here and growing up to be such a wonderful girl, we couldn’t be more proud of you.”

Once he had said all this, he stopped talking and reached over for his fork to begin eating…but he never got the fork to his mouth.

His daughter reached out her little hand and laid it on her father’s hand. His eyes went to hers, and in a soft, pleading voice she said, “ Longer, Daddy…longer
He put down his fork and proceeded to tell her some more reasons and ways they loved and appreciated her, and then he again reached for his fork. A 2nd time…and a 3rd…and a 4th time he heard the words, “Longer, Daddy…longer.”

The father never did get much to eat that morning, but his daughter got the emotional nourishment that she needed so much. In fact, a few days later, she spontaneously ran up to her mother and said “I’m a really special daughter, Mommy. Daddy told me so.”
----

juz like the litle girl of two, we need to know how we are special, and how much we are loved. often the sad tragedy is not that we are unloved, but that we are not told by those who love us so. while we can lament at that, know this:instead of you needing to say "Longer Daddy, longer", your heavenly Daddy is saying to you "longer, child, longer" so that He can tell you all that you long so much to hear. only, will u go? only, will u stay?

again, as in the previous post, quiet time is spending time with Someone who infinitely loves you.