But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14
A young boy of only seven years old approaches his Dad and says "Dad, I'm hungry." What does the Father do? He gets his son some food, right? If the boy approaches his Dad and says "I'm scared." The Father will take him in his arms and protect him. If the boy says "I need help", the Father will help him with whatever it is. If the boy says, "I feel sick. My tummy aches." the Father will take care of him, get him some medicine or take him to the doctor, right?
The young boy doesn't come to his father and start quoting from a list of rules or a contract that says the Father must care for him. He doesn't approach his Dad in fear, not really believing He will help him. He knows his Father loves him. He knows his Dad would do anything to help him and care for him. Right?
I'm talking here about a decent earthly father. I realize some of us didn't have good earthly fathers, but if you can picture in your mind what a good father would do, then you'll soon realize that a good father loves his children more than anything and is happy to help them, feed them, care for them, in any way he can.
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11
The thing is, we can come to God with our requests, we can quote Scripture that says He's supposed to answer us and help us, we can then walk away hoping somehow He will answer.... But is this pleasing to Him? I'm not saying at all that we shouldn't quote Scripture and know what God has promised us. I'm merely saying that God is a Father, the best father ever, and he LOVES it when we come to Him when we need something or have a problem, believing in our hearts that He loves us and will answer. The little boy who comes to his Dad asking for food, doesn't at all expect that his Dad will ignore him or tell him to go away. He knows his Dad will give him food!
This is how we are to be with our Father in heaven. More than anything He wants us to trust in His love for us and to grasp the height, width, depth, and breadth of it! To fully immerse ourselves in it to the point that we never doubt it. Ever.
Can you imagine being a parent who loves his daughter so very much and yet every time she comes to him to ask for help, she doesn't really believe he will help her? Even though time after time He has always been there for her?
That's all Father God wants. He wants us to know and trust in His love as our Father. He wants us to approach Him like little children who would never doubt His love and never doubt that He would drop everything to help us.
It's all about love. God is love. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. His love for us knows no bounds. He wants you to trust in His love, no matter what you see or hear or what the enemy whispers in your ear.
You know what else God wants? Your time. I am a mother and a grandmother, and if you asked me what the number one thing I wanted most from my children, do you know that that would be? Time. I want to spend time with them! Time is an expression of love. How would you feel if every time you saw your child, he came to you with a list of requests, thanked you for a few things, and then got up and left? Personally, I'd feel used. Any parent in the world will tell you they just want to hang out with their kids, have fun together, share things, get to know each other, be friends!
Yet, don't most of us do this to our Father in heaven? We list our requests, thank Him, and then go about our day. We treat God like he's some slot machine in heaven when in reality, He is like us. He has feelings, emotions, desires. He created us to have a family! He wants to spend quality time with you! He wants you to get to know Him too! I realize that it can be difficult when you can't see God in our physical realm, but that doesn't make Him any less here and real. And you can hear His voice. It takes practice and TIME and an unrelenting desire to know Him. That pleases Him most of all!
God is a Father. He longs to spend time with His children. He longs for them to know Him. He longs for them to trust in His love as the perfect parent. Change your perspective of Him, and it will change your life!
This is one of the hardest things that I have had to learn and still am learning. I always had an absent father and one who would never help me. Not because he was cruel, but because he was inept. I don't want to dishonor him and will say he served his country and that I am proud of that about him. It's interesting that my dad is still alive but has not called me in 3 years. He's actually never called me, but I stopped calling him, feeling like I was begging all the time for attention. Hence, my issue is going to God for anything. I would love for my dad to call me, but I know he won't. That makes me feel insignificant. And if I'm insignificant, why would God want to talk to me either?
ReplyDeleteKaty, boy, can I relate. I had an absent father also. I saw him once when I was 4 and the 2nd time when I was 15. Never again. I only recently found he died a couple years ago. I have had a VERY hard time believing in the love of a Father God. I still struggle with it. I'm so very sorry that you also had no earthly father. It really has such a negative effect on children as they grow up. It's affected me my entire life. I had to come to the realization that my father was a very flawed human being, a very sinful man who had so many issues that he couldn't help his actions. I came to see that he's the one who missed out on having a relationship with me... I actually started pitying him and praying for him. Then I asked the Lord to reveal His love for me and I can honestly say over the years, He has. It takes time, Katy, and the Lord's healing touch AND spending time with Him, to really sense and feel His love and to accept it and receive it. I know that Jesus would have died just for you. If you were the only person He could save, He still would have gone through with what He did. Remember that. It blew my mind when I finally grasped that. Its only the devil who wants you to believe you are insignificant. Why? Because even he knows how valuable you are.
DeleteKaty, I know it’s hard but maybe you should call him to share the love you have received from the Lord and just check on him. You are rich in Christ and you will not regret sharing out of your abundance with your earthly father.
DeleteAwe Sister, that was a refreshing drink of cool water ! Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI read your's and Katy's conversation, and it touched my heart. My Dad was a very loving man, and my Mom could be to. But she could also be given to fits of rage and violent at times. My Dad owned a business which he lost through floods and and state taking our property for a highway etc. He worked 5 jobs at one time to provide for us. I think Mom held it against him for losing the business. She always acted like she had a grudge against him, and when he did come home she would pick on him terrible so he was absent alot.
I had a rough and violent teens and 20's myself. I was affiliated with an eveil Bike club and faced 25 years in prison. When I was at my lowest point in my life, my Dad came to visit me in jail. I was embarrassed and sooo sowncast for him to see me that way. Many years later, my oldest daughter had a second DUI,lost her license, huge fines, mandatory AA meetings. I paid and helped, I took her to court and would pray for her and everyone that came through the doors. One day she lookedat me, and it was so familiar, she was so downcast,. I remembered feeling that some 40 years earlier. She asked me "Dad why do you even bother" ! I remembered that day so far behid me now, when my Dad came to visit me, I guess expected him to be angry, but when I finally got the courage to look at him, all I saw was love ! So I told my Daughter that story, and asked her, did you think I would do any less for you Daughter? And we cried on one another.
By the way, afew days after my Dads visit, my lawyer came to tell me I would only have to do 25 years !!! That night I prayed to my Heavenly Father. I told Him I would not want to live if I had to spend my life in prison, but if He would somehow get me out of this, I would serve Him all my life. 3 days later, the Friday before Christmas we were arraigned in court. The judge declared that all the evidence had been lost and that left him no choice but to dismiss ALL of the charges ! And we were released that day. And here am I sometimes still dumb founded at the Love of my Heavenly Father. Praise be and glory to my Lord and my God forever and ever.
Did you ever listen to Eric Clapton's song "My Fathers Eye's". If you listen to it in the Spirit you can relate this to what I have just said.
Peace and blessings of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and our Mighty God to you Sister's.
Wow. I am stunned by your story, Brother. That's amazing. They lost ALL the evidence!!? Only God could do that. I love it that your earthly Dad was there for you with love and that you extended that same love to your daughter. My kids have hurt me more than any other people, but I would still die for them if need be. It's a parent's love that shows us just a hint of God's enormous love for us!! Blessings!
DeleteOh my goodness!! All of these heartbreaking stories about parents and the lives the children led!! It breaks my heart!! I thought I was the only one with a bad childhood. My story does not even compare to any of the above!! I guess I need to look at things a little bit differently and be thankful that mine was not any worse!! May God bless all of you with a better life in Heaven, with Him!!
ReplyDeleteI've even heard far worse stories then these, Kathy. Yet it amazes me how God can use us wounded children to minister to others IF we turn to Him and allow Him to heal our hearts! HE is so wonderful!!
Delete