The Resurrected Family Part 2: He Calls Me Daughter

Daughter. Not a very difficult word. But for a long time for me, it was. I never liked the word. I grew up around a bunch of boys. I was the only female cousin. That made family events hard. All the "boys" would do their boy things, but I wasn't quite old enough to sit at the table and talk with the "ladies". I felt alone because of it. Left out. But more than that, left out because I didn't quite measure up. Not quite good enough for anything. So, for me, being a daughter was not what it was cracked up to be.

Then came Rick. He reminds me so much of my Dad and he says I remind him of his daughter, Micki (which I do, Micki and I are like sisters separated at birth!). It started a little jokingly, but now it fits because it's as real as real can get, but I would call him "Dad" or "Daddy" when I would see him and he would call me "Daughter". At first I remember thinking "Daughter? Why would he call me that where there are so many other great words he could use?" But, part of me liked it because when he said "Daughter" it was spoken with such love and joy, it made it a sweet word. And it's stuck ever since.

Then one day a few weeks ago I went looking for one of my favorite passages in Scripture. I love Dr. Luke's account of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years with no relief. I always found a reflection of myself in her story. This particular day I was having an extremely difficult time dealing with a physical issue that I had been battling for nearly a year, with very little relief. So I went to my favorite lady from scripture to gain a little encouragement to get through the physical agony of the upcoming day.

I flipped open my Bible and found the familiar pages of Luke 8: 42b- 48.

"As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
 'Who touched me?' Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, 'Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.'
But Jesus said, 'Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.'
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told him why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, 'Daugher, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.'"

My eyes locked on the word. Daughter. Right there in black and white. Jesus called her Daughter. He knew her name. He knew that she was the one who had touched Him, even prior to her confession. He could have called her a thousand different names, but He chose Daughter.

And for the first time, I saw that word as a wonderful, beautiful thing. I realized that the way that Rick calls me Daughter, which such joy and love and acceptance, is just a small glimmer at how God calls me Daughter. I realized, that even though her faith had healed her, He loved the sick woman as she was, with her illness and all. He loves her sick and He loves her well, nothing can make Him love her less.

And at that moment, I realized that God loves me like that, too. Sick or healthy, He loves me. He loves me when I look and feel healthy and beautiful and He loves me when I can hardly stand to be in this physical body any longer and am longing to go Home.

The word Daughter has taken such new meaning for me. I love it that God calls me Daughter. And I love it how I can hear a glimmer of His glorious voice in Rick's voice when he calls me by the name that God has given me.

I am taking to heart the whole sentence that Jesus said to the sick woman. "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." So much comes from that little sentence. It's like God wrote it just for me. "Daughter", that's who I really, truly am.  "Your faith has healed you", I'm trying to keep the faith that you will continue to bring about healing to this earthly body, Lord, until You take me to my eternal home. "Go in peace", my life's journey. Peacemakers who sow in peace will raise a harvest of righteousness (James 3:18) and the fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever (Isa 32: 17).  Shalom.