Who's Your Daddy

Our first impression of who a man is comes from watching our fathers. Whether that means watching them love endlessly or seeing them walk away from their families (and everything in between). In our adolescence, we all have a different perspective of what it means to be a father. Which in turn, affects the way we comprehend who God is.

I frequently find myself feeling as if my mistakes are disappointing my Heavenly Father; that He's downcast on the mediocre work I'm doing for His Kingdom. Because that's part of what I learned from my earthly father. It's deep-rooted in me that I have to earn my love from The Lord. And some days He doesn't want anything to do with me.  

It's important to realize that our earthly father is not a mini-representation of Christ. They may or may not do a good job at reflecting who Christ is, but at the end of the day, they are human just like me and you. 

Scripture tells us that God is the father to fatherless. If our fathers have left an inhibiting impression on us of who God is, then it's time to dig into scripture and let Him defend Himself! 

What does scripture say about the character of God?
1. God is love. Not just that He pours out an infinite amount of love— but that He is love! (John 1)
2. He does not change. He will not waiver His character because of our actions. (Hebrews 13)
3. He is patient. We cannot disappoint our Heavenly Father. He desperately waits for us to come to repentance. He continues to pursue us regardless of our efforts to pursue Him. (2 Peter)
4. He is our rock. He will guide us, pick us up, encourage us. He will not discipline us in vain or unleash undeserving wrath on us. (Isaiah 41)

We all fail everyday to accurately reflect Christ's mission. We are in constant war with our self-absorbed flesh. We will inevitably lose some battles. And so will our dads. But don't let that affect the way you understand Christ. Let Him show you how He loves you, what His truth is, and how the grace He pours out to us enables us to deliver that same grace to our earthly fathers. 

Happy Fathers Day

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