Narrow-minded. Cold. Stranger. Alcoholic. Hypocritical. Lazy. Liar. Controlling.
Not the way you’d expect a devotional on God as our Father to begin, is it?
Unfortunately, these words are all too familiar to some of us, and we must address them. How do I know? Because you wrote them. I sent out an email today asking girls in our student ministry to send me the words that come to mind when they think about their fathers. These words were some of the responses.
Is it possible to have an accurate view of God as our Father when our earthly fathers are described as strangers, hypocrites and liars. If my earthly father is a liar, is what God says true? If my earthly father is a stranger, why would God want to know me? If my earthly Father is lazy, how can I trust God to take care of me?
The difficult truth is that for many of us, it simply comes down to faith. Am I willing to believe God is a perfect Father? Will I give Him the chance to prove Himself faithful?
Some of you know I grew up in a less than perfect home. My parents hated each other; and as a result, they had a hard time showing love to my sister and me. Far too many nights of my childhood were full of screaming fights and abuse. My parents divorced when I was 10, and I began to be shuffled between houses. Now that they didn’t live together, the fighting was less frequent; but they quickly figured out how to use my sister and me as ammunition to hurt the other. Things such as dropping us off early or unexpectedly to the other parent, forgetting to pack something we needed so the other parent would have to go purchase it, etc. I will never forget feeling so very, very alone in those years.
Despite the circumstances within my family, God knew what I needed. A youth leader at my church invited me into her family. A significant part of my teenage years were spent in their home. She was the first person to ever teach me about the way God loves me, the way God created me for a purpose, the plans God has for me. God proved His faithfulness through her family.
Eventually, my relationship with my dad began to grow much healthier. While it isn’t perfect, it is certainly yet another way God has proven His faithfulness to me. I have a relationship with my earthly father who cares for me, is always there for me and loves me unconditionally.
Sixteen years after my parents divorced, God continues to prove His faithfulness as He has given me the task of sitting at my computer, typing a devotional to share with you that God is a Father who always cna be trusted (
Read
Begin to watch for the ways your Father is faithful to you! No matter your situation, whether you have the best dad in the world or the worst, your true Father does not make mistakes. He is passionate about seeing you truly live in the freedom that comes from being His child.
