Being that it is Thanksgiving I especially give thanks to a heavenly
Father who always has time to listen and who has surrounded me with so
many wonderful friends on the Daily Lily. I give thanks for parents
who were always there for us.
My Father’s rich you know and I’ll tell you why? He spends hours
playing softball with me. He shows me how to hold a bat. He yells,
Run Fast. See my Father takes time with me, because my
Father’s rich you know.
My Father spends hours during the summer at the river with me. He
throws me in and listens to me giggle with glee. He yells, Swim
and then yells, Let’s do it again.
My Father also shows me how to fish. He then has me put my own bait on
the hook and yells, You can do it. See my Father has time to
spend with me, because he’s rich you know.
My Father spends hours playing games (board games, cards, and bad
mitten) with me and shows me the correct moves to make. He is there
always encouraging me along the way. My father takes time with me,
because he’s rich you know.
My Father spends hours talking with me, telling me stories, and
instructing me on day-to-day life. He sure has a lot of wisdom. He
tells me that I am one of a kind and very special to him. I love to
talk to my Father, and I love his help. See my Father takes time with
me, because he’s rich you know.
My Father spends hours telling me about his rich heavenly Father. His
heavenly Father sent his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. He told me that God
could not look on sin and that is why he sent his son, Jesus, who is
holy and who has NO sin. By Jesus blood, we receive something like
a bar of soap, which washes away our sins. When we say we believe in
Jesus, we receive a bath, which washes away sin. Being free of sin, we
can thus stand before God and receive his loving hug. My Father says
God loves us so very much and that is why He sent his son to die for
us. I want to stand in line and get a hug don’t you?
You see my heavenly Father, like my earthly Father cares about me and
always takes time for me. My heavenly Father is extremely RICH you
know.
By Rena K. Oynes @1999
thedailylily.com 
Rena,
I just had to look up “rich” in the dictionary. According to the Webster’s New World dictionary, there are eight definitions, but for the purposes of this blog, I will choose definition numbers 2 and 3. #2 “well-supplied; abounding” #3 “valuable or costly”. Yes, our Heavenly Father is CERTAINLY abounding and valuable, and we are valuable to Him. I read this blog and was reminded of this scripture: Matthew 10: 30 ” And the very hairs on your head are all numbered”. Our Heavenly Father loves us enough to even have our hairs numbered! I can’t be thankful enough this Thanksgiving season for a Heavenly Father who loves us this much!
Seeing the definitions of rich, Needles, makes Rena’s story richer still.
And substituting the definitions for the word ‘rich’ in the following scriptures I find makes them even more precious and LOTS to be thankful for.
Romans 10:2 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.”
And Eph 2:4 “But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
My Father
Rena, I so appreciate your story. I was nine years old when my Dad came home very sick just before dinner time and then he passed away just before breakfast time the next morning. Of course this was an extremely great lost to my Mom, a young Mother, with five young children. I am so thankful and grateful that she knew the Word of God and just how to be obedient to it. She believed with all her heart that Our Heavenly Father would be there for us in all circumstances and He was. I am very grateful to God and His love for the widow and her children. He has answers for each and every situation that one finds themselves in.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Our Heavenly Father for His love and care. Today, He is still the same as He was yesterday and He is still there for each of us.