The Love Of A Father

Submitted by Jason

     It's always interesting to me how the Lord uses the relationship that I had with my father and the relationships that I currently have, as a father, with my children to teach me how He leads, provides for and protects His children.
     I've been fortunate to have had what I would consider an extremely healthy relationship with my earthly father, who lost his battle with cancer in Nov of 2009. While, at times, my heart still grieves from his passing, the real grief that I've discovered through his death is the grief of one who lives a life without knowing the love of a father. My intention through mentioning this is not to reopen the wounds in ones life, but solely for the purpose of breathing life into the places of ones being that have been void of life through the power of my testimony and the revelation of God's nature to me.
     Some of my earliest memories of my father were of me falling asleep on his chest as he lay on his back on the couch watching sports. He was a man full of compassion and warmth. Although he worked long hours and kept a busy schedule, I never felt like he didn't have time for me. I always felt safer when he was around and his sense of humor was always uplifting, except for those awkward teen years when it was more embarrassing than uplifting.
      The Lord often shows me through His word, presence, and revelation how the love of my earthly father mirrors His love toward me. At the same time, He shows me how my relationships with, and how I deal with, my children are an extension of His love toward them.
     For instance, if I had something that was precious or valuable to me, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old to look after it and care for it. I would look for the most responsible and most capable of all my children to look after such an item. If I had a particular task that was extremely important to me that needs to be done correctly, again, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old. I'd look to the one who I felt was most capable of carrying out that task thoroughly and efficiently. In every father there's an unwritten list of criteria that he uses to judge each of his children that determines which level or category of trust he/she falls into.
     I believe that the Lord treats us in the same manner. If you're a believer in, and follower of, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. We, as his children, have developed different levels of maturity and accountability with Him through our conduct.
     Sometimes, as a father, you need your child to display immediate obedience without knowing why they are being given a particular task to accomplish. The expectation from a father would be; obey first and ask questions after. This type of interaction is the very thing that develops the trust necessary to show yourself worthy of a greater task in the future. If I had a task that I needed to be accomplished in the future, but none of my children were ready to handle the task yet, I could tell a particular child that he/she will be given this task in the near future and in the meantime I would purpose to equip that child with everything that they need to successfully accomplish it, or I could equip them without revealing the task until I felt that they were ready for it.
      Either way would seem logical and acceptable to me.
   
     At this point, I believe that the Lord has spoken to me regarding a particular task that He has in mind for my family and I, but the time is not right for us to step into it. In the meantime, we can confidently approach each day knowing that the very tools that we'll need to successfully carry out this task are being developed in us daily as we tune our ears to His commands and obey first and ask questions after.
     There's no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater feeling than placing your complete security in the ever powerful hands of the one that conquered death, hell and the grave. These same ever powerful hands are always ready to embrace a child that doesn't know the love of a father.
     If you're feeling a void or unfulfillment in an area of your life, please, call a church in your area or contact us. All information will be kept confidential.
     Greater levels of freedom await those who are hungry enough to pursue them.