The Father

Us, about two years ago.

One of my greatest joys is being a father to my two boys. Even better than that is being a husband to my dear wife. Even better than that is being a child of my Father in Heaven.

Here is where I think a lot of Christians (myself included) tend to get mixed up.

The God we worship is a Father to us. A perfect Father. One who makes no mistakes, knows everything all the time, and wants the ultimate best for you (even if that brings you pain in the present).

Now I won't lie, I had a fantastic dad. He spent time with us, worked hard, kept and continues to keep God first in his life. He was a great example of what a father should be.

He is also far from perfect.

Like whenever he is working on something he loves to work on but you would never know it because he seems like he wants to murder the project.

Or when he went to Russia for a couple weeks on business and told everyone but me.

Or when he was cutting branches out of a metal fence with a chainsaw and accidentally cut his leg badly with it.

He makes mistakes. He is human. And he is my dad.

One day my boys will see my faults as well.

Like when I am enjoying what I am doing but you would never know it because it seems like I want to murder it.

Or when I forget for the fifth time to fix a toy I said I would.

Or when I accidentally cut or stab myself because I'm not paying close enough attention to what I am doing.

I make mistakes. I am human. I am their dad.

But my Heavenly Father makes no mistakes. He doesn't get angry at ridiculous stuff. He never forgets anything He should remember. He never gets hurt because He did something dumb.

My dad loves my brother and I. I love my boys. There is no question or doubt about that fact.

But God loves me, them, and you so much more than any of us could ever fathom.

The mix-up comes when we get the idea that God is a Father to us in the same way our fathers are. We imprint upon Him our idea of what a dad is like, and see him in that way. When we do this we place upon Him (even if it is just subliminally), sickness, mistakes, anger, and other human characteristics. I do not believe this is intentional, or that we are actively trying to bring God down a notch; if God is a Father it is only natural that we view Him through the lens we know. But it can become a problem.

So I want to ask you to try something. Take some time and consider who God really is, and what it means that He is a perfect Father who loves you, who makes no mistakes, and who's biggest goal is to bring you to His side to be with Him forever. 

He wants you to come to Him. He will never blow you off, or tell you to wait a little longer. He has all the answers and knows exactly when to fill you in. But He is a Father to His people, and whether that means praising them, punishing them, or helping them, He does it all so that we can be with Him in the end.

So be encouraged today to talk to your Father in Heaven. Spend time with Him. Know Him fully.

After all, He's already prepared to spend eternity with you. Why not start now?