Key Theme:
God is not waiting for our perfection but for our presence. The Father’s greatest desire is a real relationship with His children — even when our lives are scribbled with mistakes, distractions, and detours.
1. The Scribbled Bible
Illustration:
A father wakes to find his non-verbal autistic daughter scribbling in his Bible. When she looks up and says, “Hi, Daddy,” his tears flow — not because of what she did, but because of what God showed him through it.
Truth Introduced:
God used that moment to reveal a deeper truth — “I know your pain. I too am a Father, and My children often fail to acknowledge My presence.”
Takeaway:
Sometimes God uses the most unexpected moments to show us how He feels about us.
A father’s tears can mirror the heart of our Heavenly Father.
2. Main Truth – God Feels That Way Too
Key Point:
Greg’s heartbreak was a reflection of God’s own longing — the ache of a Father who desires to be seen and known by His children.
Scriptures:
- Isaiah 1:3 “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”
- Luke 15:20 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
Reflection:
- We mourn when our children don’t respond to us.
- God feels that same pain when we go through our routines without Him.
- He’s not angry — He’s waiting.
- Sin doesn’t just break His law — it breaks His heart.
Quote:
“We mourn when our children don’t respond to us, yet how often does God sit at the edge of our lives, waiting for us to look up and say, ‘Hi, Father.’”
3. The Problem – We’re Living in Our Own World
Key Point:
Like Mandi, many of us live in our own little world — not out of rebellion, but out of disconnection.
Scripture:
- Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.”
Main Ideas:
- We fill our lives with busyness, distraction, and routine.
- We can be surrounded by Christian things but disconnected from Christ Himself.
- It’s not rebellion that keeps Him out — it’s routine.
- We have routines that exclude relationship and sometimes even religion that excludes relationship.
Reflection:
Jesus stands outside His own church, knocking — waiting to be noticed.
He wants presence, not performance.
4. The Heart of the Father – Love That Waits
Key Point:
God’s heart is not one of impatience or anger — it’s compassion, patience, and relentless pursuit.
Scriptures:
- Psalm 103:13 “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Main Ideas:
- God’s love isn’t performance-based — it’s presence-based.
- He’s not after perfection; He’s after proximity.
- When Adam and Eve hid, He called out, “Where are you?”
- When the prodigal returned, the Father ran to him.
- Greg didn’t scold Mandi for scribbling — he rejoiced that she came close.
Illustration:
God isn’t afraid of our scribbles. He’s the Author who can rewrite what we’ve made messy.
Reflection:
Even our mistakes become brushstrokes in His masterpiece of grace.
5. The Invitation – Hand Him the Pen
Key Point:
Every one of us has taken the pen from God — trying to write our own story. The invitation today is to hand it back.
Scriptures:
- Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Main Ideas:
- We’ve made our edits, crossed out His plans, and doodled our distractions.
- God isn’t angry — He’s waiting for us to surrender authorship.
- His handwriting, though sometimes hard to read, always tells a better story.
- The Author of life hasn’t abandoned the draft — He’s still writing.
Reflection:
There’s no page too stained that God can’t rewrite.
Hand Him the pen — let Him redeem the story.
6. The Gospel Connection
Key Point:
The cross is proof of how far God was willing to go to restore relationship with His children.
Scriptures:
- John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- Romans 5:8 “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Main Ideas:
- The Father didn’t just write a love letter — He sent the Author in flesh.
- Jesus came not to demand obedience but to restore relationship.
- He didn’t wait for us to stop scribbling; He entered our mess.
- The cross is the moment the Author wrote Himself into our story — with a pen dipped in His own blood.
Reflection:
When you look at the cross, don’t just see forgiveness — see pursuit.
He didn’t come to edit your life; He came to exchange it.
7. Closing Challenge – “Hi, Daddy”
- The Father isn’t looking for your polish; He’s waiting for your presence.
- He’s not disappointed in you — He’s desiring you.
- He doesn’t want your performance — He wants your relationship.
Reflection Quote:
“Maybe today is the day you hand Him the pen. Maybe today is the day you finally whisper, ‘Hi, Daddy.’”