Janice observed that it might have been a Norman Rockwell painting. And well it might have been. It was exactly the kind of scene that Rockwell captured in his portrayals of life and love in the world. This one could have been entitled, No Greater Love. And there it was playing out, live and in color, before our eyes.

Through the ice cream parlor window, we watched as a young father sat at a small table licking a double dip of chocolate ice cream. Small streams of it melted down the sides of his large brown waffle cone, but his attention was not on that. His attention was solely on the beautiful little girl seated across from him. She was so prim with hair neatly combed and her dress fitting for a performance in a piano recital. In front of her sat a bowl of a flavored ice cream, but like her dad, her attention was not on it. Her attention was on her dad sitting across from her. The sparkle in her eyes revealed how much she adored him; and here she was on a date with just the two of them.

We watched as the little girl dipped her spoon into her ice cream and offered a taste to her dad. He tasted it with affection dancing in his eyes. He could see innocence in her face; he felt trust in her hand; and he sensed hope in her heart as joy radiated from the little girl’s smile. To her this was like a tea party, and Daddy was her honored guest.

The beauty of the scene made me want to gather them both in my arms, ice cream and all, and parade them around the shopping center for all to see. This is how love is supposed to be. I think it’s what God intended when He made us in his own image.

The scene was brief, but it still replays in my mind. The love in the father’s eyes portrayed how life should be—the unconditional love of a trusted protector offering persevering hope. And there was the innocence of a little girl, trusting in her father—a picture of how faith in our loving God should be.

The picture is imprinted in my mind and I hope I never lose it. More importantly, I hope it will never be lost from the minds of the young father and his beautiful daughter. In all the pictures of life I have seen, I have seen no better one of a father’s love than this. It was an image of God’s love for us—

And there is no greater love.

 

“You are the light of the world.”

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