My Father, Our Father
It is said that most little girls look for the things in a man that remind her of her father. The relationship we have with the first man in our lives is fundamental in how we will later relate to the opposite sex. It is also formative to how we will relate to God.
God is often referred to as 'Father'. The bible makes this reference many times. Jesus calls him Father, Abba, which in those times was equivalent to calling God 'Daddy'. A familiar, and intimate term. Not at all the big bearded man on a high throne looking down on you.
I am blessed with a loving father, a father who, when I was young and scared in the night would enfold me with his strong arms and in an instant all of my fears would melt away. I was safe. I was with my Daddy, the 'boogie man' didn't dare come near.
He fought fires for a living, he wasn't just my hero he was a uniformed hero who drove a big red truck, saving houses and lives. He created for me the image of a father who was loving, funny, forgiving, strong and kind.
And so, when I hear the phrase 'God the Father' I don't recoil thinking about someone who would sooner strike me down than look at me. Someone who waits for me to make a mistake so they can pour out their wrath.
Instead, I think of a man who lights up when I return after a long absence, who doesn't want to let go when it's time for me to leave, who loves me unconditionally, who encourages me to be everything I was born to be, who believes in me. This is the lens through which I see God.
So thank-you Dad, for being the kind of earthly father that made it easy for me to accept the love of the one in Heaven.
God is often referred to as 'Father'. The bible makes this reference many times. Jesus calls him Father, Abba, which in those times was equivalent to calling God 'Daddy'. A familiar, and intimate term. Not at all the big bearded man on a high throne looking down on you.
He fought fires for a living, he wasn't just my hero he was a uniformed hero who drove a big red truck, saving houses and lives. He created for me the image of a father who was loving, funny, forgiving, strong and kind.
And so, when I hear the phrase 'God the Father' I don't recoil thinking about someone who would sooner strike me down than look at me. Someone who waits for me to make a mistake so they can pour out their wrath.
Instead, I think of a man who lights up when I return after a long absence, who doesn't want to let go when it's time for me to leave, who loves me unconditionally, who encourages me to be everything I was born to be, who believes in me. This is the lens through which I see God.
So thank-you Dad, for being the kind of earthly father that made it easy for me to accept the love of the one in Heaven.
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| Me, My Dad, my sister and my oh so un-photogenic Mom :) |
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