The Orkin Dads

It had been an insanely busy day at the office and I was exhausted. Before leaving for the evening, it's my routine to check with the nurses for any last minute details. As we were discussing the next day's schedule, the pest control men came through the door. It was fairly close to closing time and I groaned inwardly. I did not want to end up leaving late. 

We greeted them as they approached the desk. There were two men. The older was as perky as if it was the start, instead of the end, of the day. The younger man looked exhausted. I said something about it, and the older man said, "Oh, he's fine. He's just got a new baby is all. He's not getting any sleep."  He laughed and nudged the younger guy. 

"How old is your baby?" someone asked. He'd anticipated that question, I suspect, for his hand was already on his phone.  He grinned the biggest grin I'd seen all day as he said, "He's seven months old!" That proud papa was filled with joy as he handed photos of his little son all around. We oohed and ahhed as women will do over babies, and he grinned and grinned. He was tired, but he didn't really mind the missed sleep.  

The older man was not going to be left out of the bragging. He quickly let us know he has two children of his own. He has a fifteen year old that is the greatest. He showed us pictures and bragged a little. "I've got a four year old daughter, too," he said as he showed us another picture. "Here she is. She's so sweet!" From the picture, I could see there was a problem, which he quickly verified. "I wish you'd all pray for her. She has a mild case of cerebral palsy. She just needs your prayers." He was still beaming about his beautiful little girl. 

Samantha said it first, "Ooh, these Orkin Dads are so sweet!" We were all thinking it, though. I wanted to cry because of the joy they exhibited over their children. That older dad was every bit as excited about his little girl with cerebral palsy as the younger man was with his healthy infant son. (And he should be)

They were both sweet dads and I adored the joy they expressed about their children. The older dad, though, left me thinking about our Heavenly Father. The Orkin Dads were proud of their children, they loved their children, not because of anything they had done, or any milestones they had accomplished. The Orkin Dads loved their children, despite their dificulties, simply because they were theirs. Scripture says God sees us as sinners but loves us anyway, despite our imperfections. (Romans 6:23). His loveis not  anything  we can earn, but there is good news! He loves us just because we are His, and that's the best news of all!