I grew up without my biological father. He became uninvolved in my life before I turned two, and I didn’t see him again until I was 26 years old. Throughout his life, he struggled with substance abuse because of the pain he endured growing up. As a result, I lived most of my life without him.
For many years I felt God was distant because the experience I had with my biological father directly influenced my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about my Heavenly one. Over time, I learned how to separate my experiences with my earthly father from my view of God. It was then that I realized God was not a distant father, and He actually loved me much more and much better than anyone else ever could.
Fathers play an essential role in our lives. Because our view of God is often directly influenced by how we experience our earthly father, our views of Him can get muddled. When we learn how to separate our view of God from how we’ve experienced our earthly father, we realize God is very different from what we may have believed about Him.
Separating the lies we’ve believed, from the truth of who He really is, makes all the difference. When we do this, we realize God is so much better than any human being could ever be. He is the kind of father who is a mighty protector as well as a loving redeemer. He constantly watches over His children, stands up for their cause, and takes up their grievances in a powerful way. He can do for us what no earthly father could ever do, no matter how amazing our dads are. This is the beauty of our Heavenly Father. The truth is, He loves us better than anyone else ever could.
Maybe you grew up knowing the most amazing dad. Then again, maybe you did not. Perhaps your experience lies somewhere between these two scenarios. Regardless of your experience with your earthly father, God wants to be your true Father if you’ll let Him. 2 Corinthians 6:18 ESV says, “And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” This means that when you turn to God and accept Him as your Father, God himself will assume the role of caring for you and meeting your needs in particular ways that only He can.
Think on ways you can know the truth about Father God’s deep love for you, His son, or daughter.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me better than anyone ever could. Please help me fully believe and accept that You are my mighty protector and loving redeemer. Thank You for constantly watching over me, standing up for my cause, and taking up my grievances in a powerful way. If there is anything I believe about You that isn’t true, will you please show me so I can reconcile these feelings? I want to continue to learn the truth about Your true character.
In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Featured Image by Christian Widell on Unsplash
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