The Best Father

Yesterday we celebrated Father’s Day, and social media was flooded with pictures and words of honor for fathers of all ages – both those living and those now dead.  Parenthood is a privilege, and we should take time to appreciate those in our lives who have served us in this role.  I also posted some photos and words about my own father, who passed away eight and a half years ago.

But I couldn’t help but think about those whose family experiences have not been as positive as mine.  What about those whose own fathers were difficult or even evil men?  What about those who never knew their own fathers?  What about those whose desires to become fathers have not been fulfilled?  What about those whose fathers left this earth earlier than most – while still productive, young men?  Holidays like Father’s Day are not celebrations of joy for everyone.

 

But we all have a Father in heaven who is perfect and will always be a perfect Father to us.  He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5); he loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) that is patient and kind and keeps no record of wrongs                (1 Corinthians 13:4-7); he is always seeking to do what’s best for us; and when discipline from him is necessary, it is always motivated by his deep love for us (Proverbs 3:12).  A paraphrase of Hebrews 12:6 tells us that God as our father accepts us, cherishes us, and welcomes us to his heart!  He exhibits an ideal balance between firmness and affection that is reflected in the words of a Jewish scholar in Biblical times, who stated that a good father should “push away with the left hand and draw near with the right hand”.  Our heavenly Father also offers unlimited forgiveness – regardless of how many times we need to repent and turn away from the same sins.

No matter what kind of earthly father you had or how long you had him in your life, every day can be a day of rejoicing in the amazing truth that the God of the universe has chosen to call you his child: “How great is the 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).  Thankfulness for this incredible gift can and should flow from each of us as we ponder what it means to have such a perfect Father for all of eternity. 

Hidden In My Heart

I was challenged by a homeless man the other day, and it was something I wasn’t expecting.  I am used to getting smiles without a lot of eye contact from the regulars I see each month who come for the meal that members of our church serve to them.  But I had never seen this man before, and his question caught me off guard.

As I handed him a cup of milk and some juice or water for the road, he looked straight at me and said, “Tell me a verse – something you heard this morning.”  For a moment, I froze.  Though I spend time nearly every day in the Word, I had spent that morning getting myself ready for a busy day of shopping and serving lunch to homeless strangers.  Of all the days for someone to ask me what I had read that morning in Scripture!

Besides that, anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t do “ad lib” things.  It was a running joke during my years playing keyboards for worship team that the leader could not expect me to deliver on an ad lib solo like he could from the other members of the instrumental team.  My mind goes completely blank when put on the spot, and I would probably forget my name if asked unexpectedly!

I also never got the spontaneity gene.  The term my family uses to describe my approach to spur-of-the-moment things is “planned spontaneity”.  Of course that’s an oxymoron – but that’s the only way I know how to roll!  So this man’s question stopped me in my tracks.

Seeing my hesitation, he then modified his request: “Maybe something out of Proverbs.”  Secretly I appreciated his help to focus me, but it still took a second to come up with an appropriate response.  The first verse in Proverbs that came to mind was “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6); but that didn’t seem overly appropriate for a man in his seventies!  So I said a quick “Help me, Lord” in my mind, and God answered with a better choice: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).  My beverage-serving partner chimed in to finish the thought of verse 6: “. . . in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  The man expressed his appreciation and then sat down to eat his meal.

I’ve thought about this encounter and am thankful for God’s help when I needed it.  I have “hidden God’s word in my heart” (Psalm 119:11) since I was a little girl, and I probably have committed dozens of verses to memory over the years.  Yet I am still a weak vessel in need of God’s help to be the light he wants me to be in the world.  While we are all called on to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15), Scripture also makes it clear that we need the Spirit to help us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26).  This is the cooperative effort that is referred to in Philippians 2:12-13 – God working in us as we continue to work out our Christian walk. 

Within the interconnectedness of relationship with God as we abide in Christ, we can accomplish whatever God asks us to do (Philippians 4:13).  But, on our own, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  And, as I was reminded last week, this is a moment-by-moment process where we draw on what is stored inside us from reading the Word and being taught by good teachers – and also call on God to fill in the gaps in our human nature and shine through us.  What a privilege to be in partnership with Almighty God!  Time to go memorize another verse . . .