“By entering into life on his estate, his kingdom, just like you have here entered into mine. And then by watching and observing and listening and asking, and getting to know what the owner of that estate is like, as you have gotten to know me here. You see, everything in life mirrors and reflects deeper principles in God’s kingdom. This estate here is a tiny little reflection of God’s whole world. My relationship as Sabina’s father is a tiny little reflection of God’s fatherhood over us all. If I had time to tell you, Matthew, in this garden itself are a thousand reflections of God’s character and being—all the little clues of discovery I was talking about earlier. He made every inch of the world, every plant, every thorn on every one of my rosebushes to go along with the flowers. He made you and me and Marion and Sabina and your father. Everything—everything in the world reflects something about God’s personality—if we have eyes to see all the hidden mysteries of meaning!

“The most important mystery of all is this: God is our Father. He’s a Father whose great desire is not to punish us for doing wrong, but who wants to reveal himself to us, his children. His desire for his kingdom is just like mine for this estate. He wants us to know him, as a loving and kind and generous and giving Father who positively delights in his children. He wants to walk and visit and fellowship and converse with us in a growing friendship of love—exactly as we relate as we’re getting to know one another. He wants us to pick all the flowers that grow in his garden!

“He’s approachable, Matthew, not far away. He does not want us to think of him merely as the awful, powerful, almighty Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the heavens, destroyer of sin. Do you see the difference? There are thousands of aspects and attributes to his character. But what he wants us to call him is Father. He wants us to go to him so he can wrap his arms around us and speak to us tenderly and lovingly as his children.”

“I’ve never heard God talked about like that.”

“Now we’re to the point where I can answer that question of yours from a while ago—why we delight in God’s being so close to us, why we take him so seriously in all we do, why for us it is wonderful to realize God is beside us every moment rather than fearsome, and why we are not afraid of him, but rather delight in being in his presence every moment.