A Father’s Day Tribute
With Father’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to reflect a bit. I’ve been told many times that a person’s father shapes their perspective of God. People who have had a bad relationship (or no relationship) with their father generally view God as being like their father and have a difficult time establishing a fond relationship with God. Many people see God as being exactly like their earthly father, and therefore see God with the same shortcomings. I have worked with teens whose fathers have skipped out on their families, and they have shared that they also fear that God is going to skip out on them when they need him the most. My pastor shared about how his father was very strict & used guilt against him, and how he used to see God as “keeping a list of his wrongs.” This made his relationship with God difficult until he was able to see that God, indeed, was not like his earthly father. In fact, God’s love surpassed anything that a earthly man is capable of feeling and is more profound than we can fathom.
Now, my dad is not perfect. But, if I were to meet God and find out that he was exactly like my father, I would run to him with open arms, completely overjoyed by who he is. My father has been an incredible example to me of humility, servanthood, friendship, love, faith, joy…you name it. And I am so amazingly lucky to have a father who is so open and supportive and…just amazing. So, with Father’s Day approaching, I realized that the absolute best compliment I could possibly give my father is that he is such an amazing reflection of Christ and Christ’s Love that he makes me want to know God more. I have seen the love of God through my father so many times that the two are interconnected.
Dad, I am blessed beyond belief, beyond what I deserve, and am profoundly thankful that you are my Dad. Thank you for being the man you are, this has spoken to my heart more than anything you could do or say. I am overjoyed by you.