Our Father’s Love
If I were to ask you to close your eyes and envision a fatherly image, what would you see?
For some of us that may be difficult because of the relationship we have or do not have with our father. Many of us also have difficulties connecting with our Heavenly Father also because of those strained relationships we have with our earthly fathers: absent fathers, abusive fathers, emotionally distant fathers, controlling fathers — they all have weaknesses that invades the perception we have towards God as our father. In my personal experience, I have an absent father. Throughout my entire life, I have always struggled with the need for approval, wondering why I didn’t measure up, and lacking trust in the “father figures” in my life. I have been let down and disappointed numerous times however I didn’t realize that there was an all encompassing Father patiently waiting for me.
When we accept Jesus into our lives we become children of God, “yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” John 1:12-13. Because of this adoption from God we can approach Him with the likeness of a child, knowing that we are valuable in His eyes. We can walk towards Him knowing that we can trust Him and know that He has been waiting for us all along; waiting to make up for what we have never had more than we could ever imagine.
I don’t want you to read this and think that I have it all together. Until now, I still struggle with connecting to God as my Father. However, I take comfort in knowing that He is patient with me as I grow and deepen my relationship with Him. One way in which I remind myself of His fatherly love is to look around me and see Him in the men in my life. I promise if you did the same, you would see Him too. Whether that be the patient husbands, the compassionate stepfathers, the loving grandfathers, the protective uncles, the brothers, the cousins, the friends who all demonstrate God’s love in our lives.
As I previously mentioned, God is able to do so much more; “now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20. When we cry out to Him and ask for Him to fill the void in our lives, He does so much more by allowing those inspirational men to walk into our lives. Though He is our ultimate Father, He allows these father figures to fulfill a desire that was on our hearts to show us His love, compassion, and mercy. He is that good. A Father providing all the needs of his children.
When I close my eyes to envision a fatherly image, I see a man helping a child learn how to ride a bike. He might give a little push, he might provide some support as the child figures out how to balance, but soon enough the child will be pedalling off on their own. As the child becomes more confident in their progress, we can rest assured that the Father will never take His eyes off the child.
We may be still getting accustomed to the pedals of our Father’s love but rest assured that one day we will flourish in all that it is.
Crystal Tuazon
