Through the mist
One of my all time favourite films is The Railway Children with actress Jenny Agutter. The final scene sees Jenny’s character, Roberta, standing on the station platform. She wasn’t expecting her father to be on the train after a long absence, but begins to entertain the hopeful possibility. The end of the platform is covered with a thick steamy mist but slowly Roberta recognises her father’s silhouette. She calls out to him “Daddy, my daddy”, as she runs into his embrace. Roberta running into her father’s embrace always gets to me. It speaks to me of the longing to be embraced by our father’s arms, held firmly yet gently, deeply loved, accepted, and protected. It makes me reflect on the unique intimacy available to us from our Heavenly Father. Jesus, called him, Abba, a tender, intimate name not dissimilar to Dad or Daddy, but like Roberta’s father on the platform, sometimes our Heavenly Father can be difficult to make out, hidden by our false perceptions, our fear of being acce
