Our Father… Who art in heaven…
When you sort through the King James talk, there’s another view of God that’s crucial: God is OUR Father… and we are His children.
I know this is not immediately helpful for everyone. many, many people don’t have a favorable relationship with their earthly father, and this can transfer awkwardly in relating to a heavenly Father.
Some come from dysfunctional homes with an absent father.Others grew up around their father but were never able to please them. Maybe they were never “goodgh.” Or maybe their fathers never noticed them. For these people, it can be difficult to view God apart from these experiences.
But if you sense God is always looking away from you (or somewhere else), you’ll never take him seriously.
If you feel God frowning at you – like nothing you do is good enough – the Christian journey will be difficult.
But if your God is one who was always there, always interested, and can always find pleasure in you – like a father who finds pleasure in his precious child – you’ll see your life differently.
I was blessed to have a father who was pleased in me. When my behavior was pleasing, Dad was pleased. When my behavior was not pleasing, I knew Dad loved me the same. In large part, my self worth was tied to a loving father who always found pleasure in me. As I grew older, this helped me to see God biblically.
While I know not everything I do pleases God, His overwhelming grace and love comforts me and motivates me to want to please Him more and more… in a healthy way.
What about you? How do you view God? Do you see Him as a father seeking to find pleasure in you?
How would your life change, if you knew – beyond a shadow of a doubt- that God loved you more deeply than any earthly father imaginable?
(Looking for answers to these questions? Subscribe for a free sample of my new book, Divine Applause)