My two-year-old toddler has an obsessive attachment to her dad these days. When he’s walking, she’s by his side. When he’s sitting, she’s crawling all over him. When he leaves the room for just a second, a pathetic cry can be heard throughout the house . . .

“Daddy! Where’s . . . daddy? Where’s . . .  daddy?“

My daughter’s obsession is exhausting and a little painful for me. When I try to give her a hug or a kiss and her dad is around, she shuns me. Her devotion to him is undivided. She can’t even see me, despite the fact that I carried her through nine months of pregnancy that ended in a very long hospital stay and an emergency C-section that left me filleted like a piece of fish on an operating table.

I tell her all that, and it has no effect on her whatsoever. The guilt won’t stick. She doesn’t care. She’s all about her dad.

Do you remember a time when you were like that with God?

I do. I was constantly by his side. I would crawl up in his lap every morning to pray. I would reach my hands high in worship to hug him. When I couldn’t see him, I would call His name. Other interests that vied for my attention failed to satisfy.

But now… I’m busy. I have so many things to do. And my mind is so easily distracted.

Obviously it’s not wrong to take care of our responsibilities. Obviously, we have big, busy lives. Obviously, we need to concentrate on other things.

But there needs to be a time of the day, every day, when I’m just daddy’s girl—when He’s the only thing I want or see. That is a lot harder to do at my age than my daughter’s. It’s not automatic. I have think about it. I have to plan it. I have to make that time a priority.

God would like nothing more than for you to get alone with Him for a few minutes today, crawl up in His lap, and be your daddy’s girl.

Forget about yesterday. Forget about how many days it’s been since you sat in your Heavenly Father’s lap.

Forget about all the ways you’ve failed. Determine to sit in His lap today. And tomorrow. And the day after that. 

Be your Daddy’s girl today.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1