A Deep Love

Father’s Day is today, so if you’re blessed as I am with a living and loving father, father figure, or father of your child(ren), I hope you take the time to let him know how much you love and appreciate him.

I have always been a daddy’s girl. I love my mom deeply too, but there’s always been a special bond between my dad and me.

Some of my earliest memories are spending time with my dad hunting and taking care of our animals. I remember my dad teaching me to ride a bike in our front yard and showing me how to use my BB gun safely. He taught me how to fish, and he used to shoot hoops and play HORSE with me. He helped teach me to drive, and he walked me down the aisle on my wedding day.

My dad isn’t the most vocal of men, but I’ve always admired that about him. He taught me to listen to others, and he only speaks when he has something important to say. Hearing, “I love you,” from him is a rare treat, but that makes it even more special when he does say it. I’ve always felt his love through his actions anyway.

I remember riding home with him one day, and I asked him who his best friend was. He said, “I guess you are.” To a little girl whose dad was a hero in her eyes, that was something special.

There used to be a picture frame sitting on my dad’s shelf (and maybe it’s still there) of him holding and hugging me when I was a toddler, both of us smiling. On the other side of the frame was a carving that read, Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone great to be a daddy. If you have or had a dad like mine, you can well understand that saying.

Proverbs 17:6 reads, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” If you were like me, as a child I believed my dad was capable of anything. He appeared strong, smart, and invincible, and I was (and still am) proud to say, “That’s my dad.”

I realize that unfortunately, not every woman has had the same relationship with her father as I have, and I’m sorry for that. However, it’s important to note that even the best fathers are not perfect. My dad has his own unique flaws, just like we all do. He has let me down, and I know I’ve let him down many times.

No matter what your relationship with your earthly father, you have another who will never leave you or fail you, your Heavenly Father. You can have an incomparable relationship with Him.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Jesus instructed his followers in Matthew 23:9: “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” This is a reminder that above anything else, God is our Father, and as believers, we belong to His family.

This is also reiterated in Malachi 2:10. “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?” When we see God as our shared Father, it changes the way we view our relationships to others, encouraging us to care for one another as we would a sister or brother.

Remember, the role of father started with God himself, and fatherhood is a calling from God. Being a father, stepfather, grandfather, foster father, or other father figure is an opportunity to love and care for one’s children as God loves and cares for His children.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, Paul teaches us ways that a good father shows his children love. “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

The special relationship between a father and child can create many opportunities to spread the love of Christ. A good father encourages his child during difficult undertakings. A good father comforts his child when he or she is hurting. Most importantly, a good father demonstrates how to live for God and fulfill His calling.

While I know my dad loves me deeply, I also know my Father in heaven loves me more. God’s love is evident in His actions and through the blessings and forgiveness He’s provided me, through the blood that Jesus shed for me, and via the Holy Spirit who convicts and councils me.

There’s a great song written by Stuart Townend that really exemplifies God’s love for His children: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to read through the lyrics and then listen to the song.

A Tough Love

My dad doesn’t get mad often; he’s an easy-going guy. However, I will never forget the day I saw my dad madder at me than ever before.

Being the oldest child, I didn’t have much patience with my younger siblings at times. I remember I was arguing with my little sister one day, and being the sinful person that I am, I lost my cool and threw the closest thing I could grab at her. That happened to be a pencil.

As soon as I let it fly, I knew I was in trouble. That pencil hit her, tip-first, right above her left eye. She started crying and bleeding, and I immediately felt horrible.

When my dad got home and saw what I did, I got a spanking I wouldn’t soon forget. I deserved it too. I could have caused permanent vision impairment or harm to her eye if that pencil had hit a little bit lower. My sister still has the scar, which is a reminder of my horrible behavior.

The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” This isn’t speaking of abuse. I know in today’s society, there’s a fine line between discipline and abuse. However, I feel there’s a major distinction between the two. Discipline stems from love, while abuse comes from hate.

When I did wrong, my dad disciplined me. I’m sure he didn’t enjoy doing that, but I know it came from love, trying to teach me to be a better person and recognize right from wrong. It was tough love. There’s a song by Holly Dunn called Daddy’s Hands, which explains it well.

Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was cryin’. Daddy’s hands were hard as steel when I’d done wrong. Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle, but I’ve come to understand, there was always love in daddy’s hands.

Any time I got disciplined by my dad, I had done something terrible. Like my dad, my Heavenly Father also corrects me when I do wrong, and He does that because He loves me, just as He does you.

Proverbs 3:12 tells us, “…the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

We all sin and make mistakes. Consequences help us avoid repeating bad behavior. When we make poor choices, defy the rules, or hurt others, it’s not always immediately clear to us that what we’ve done is wrong.

Discipline takes many forms, and depending on the wrongful act, some consequences can be more severe than others. Doling out discipline is not an enjoyable thing. However, good fathers know that discipline comes from a place of love and from a desire to teach their children good character and respectful behavior.

Because we are sinners and disobey God’s commandments, we must endure hardships as a form of discipline from God. While discipline is never pleasant at the time, in the long run, we will hopefully grow into better people and more fruitful followers of Christ. Read Hebrews 12:4-12 on this subject.

An Everlasting Love

This week’s Bible story is not about a woman, but about a father and his wayward son. I’m sure many of you have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. However, the story could have easily been about a daughter as well, and I feel it’s a story we all can appreciate and learn from.

You can read this parable that Jesus shared with His followers in Luke 15: 11-32.

The story begins with a father and his two sons. The younger son demanded his inheritance from his father, and when he received it, he left home for another country and blew all his money on ridiculous things until he was left with nothing.

Then, a terrible famine came to the country, and the man having nothing went searching for a job. He was hired to tend to a man’s pigs, and he was so hungry he was tempted to eat from the pig slop.

Feeling ashamed of his behavior, the man realized that even his father’s servants were well taken of while he was in a foreign country starving to death. He recognized that he had sinned against both his earthly father and God through his actions, and he decided to return home and beg his father for forgiveness and for a job. Therefore, he set off for home.

Luke 15:20 tells us, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

Then, the father threw a celebration in honor of his lost son’s return.

I think we’ve all experienced times when we’ve wandered away from God or even purposefully turned our backs to Him. However, what I love about this story that mirror’s God’s love for his defiant children, is that our heavenly Father is always waiting to celebrate our return.

What’s even more amazing, if you re-read the verse above, is that God’s welcome is not a resentful one. Like the father who ran out to meet his son, God’s greeting is joyful, automatic, earnest, and compassionate.

Maybe you don’t have a good relationship with your earthly father. Maybe your father has passed away. Maybe you never really knew your father. No matter what your circumstance, God loves you and can be a father to you, if you let Him.

Maybe you already committed your life to God through salvation, but you have wandered away from Him over the years.  Know that He is waiting for you with open arms, ready for you to run back to Him today. His love is everlasting!

No matter the struggles you are going through today, God is with you, and He is for you. Just like His chosen people, the Israelites, if you follow Him, God will go before you to lead you and will carry you when you falter.

“The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” (Deuteronomy 1:30-31)

God loves you more than any person on earth can because God is love (1 John 4:8). While you celebrate your earthly father today, also remember your heavenly Father. Give thanks to Him today for all that He is and all you’ve been blessed with through Him.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…” (1 John 3:1)

Have a blessed week!

-Becky