Today is Father’s Day and while I think of my own dad and of my husband, now I also have to think about my son-in-law who is an amazing father to my three grandchildren. I am so very grateful to know such great guys who are, or who have often been, incredibly selfless in their devotion and responsibilities to their children.
It starts with the hard work and the desire to provide for their families. But it’s in little things, too. And, as some wise sage once said, “The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” That part is also evident in the three men I’ve mentioned above.
But the thing I am thinking about this morning is the ways we are all children of God and how amazing that relationship is. Or can be, if we are fully aware of what it means to be His son or daughter. Now, some have issues with God being given a masculine gender, but that’s what we call Him. I understand that God the Father is actually without a physical body so He’s neither male nor female. But He did become man in the person of Jesus Christ who was male and who, on more than one occasion, addressed or spoke about God as “Father,” so who am I to argue with that?
And as our Father, who loves us unconditionally, selflessly, even recklessly (see an earlier post of mine this month on that topic), God is a fantastic role model for earthly fathers. The best role model, of course. It’s been said that God does not need us, but that He wants us, so great is His love. Actually, according to Scripture, God IS love! Love cannot be contained or restrained; it is meant to be shared by its very Nature. So the Creator creates everything and everyone out of that love.
And it is so self-giving, self-emptying a love from the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, endlessly merciful Father that we were given His Son who would freely live and die and rise again for us. For each one of us. We are God’s children; He is our Father. Let us rejoice and be glad!
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of Yourself and the love you have for us revealed in the Incarnation. Let us never forget who loved us into being and who knows us intimately and loves us anyway. Help us to be more like You. Help us to learn more about You and Your love for us every day so that we may come ever nearer to you until we move from this earthly home to our Home in Heaven where every tear is wiped away, just like a daddy does for the children he loves. Amen.
Drowning in Lemonade 