It’s Father’s Day. It’s not an easy day for some to remember their Dad.
When I was a little girl, I imagined having a real family with a father and a mother. The reality was, my father, abandoned me when I was 6 months. He didn’t just leave me, but he left my mother and brother too. Our fragmented family struggled financially my entire childhood. I vividly remember days when there wasn’t enough food in the house, and several times of feeling embarrassed that the electricity and phone were turned disconnected. We didn’t have a car; we had to get creative with transportation. My father was never there for us; we were neglected.
I often daydreamed I had a father that was wealthy, wise, strong, loving, protective and caring. I imagined he would wrap his arms around me and tell me he loved me. He never did give me a hug or spoke those words. I often wondered why. I learned later in life, my father chose to marry a woman who did not want him to be involved in his children’s lives; he obviously obliged.
We don’t always get the earthy father we want, but we all get the heavenly Father we need. God has incredible qualities and attributes, more than we could imagine or desire. Our heavenly father loves us unconditionally and waits patiently for us to acknowledge Him; to reciprocate His love. No man can see God, but you can clearly see Him and get a sense of his attributes through all the things He’s created. Just look around at the beautiful mountains, hills, valleys, trees, flowers, rivers, lakes and sea. God’s attributes are all in plain view and there is no excuse for saying there is no God.
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 12:1:19-20
I have personally felt God’s invisible hand upon me during my entire life. He’s walked alongside me through a painful past and He sees a hopeful future. Sometimes His presence is so close and I can feel His breath.
If you have strayed away from your heavenly Father, I urge you to come home. You may have left home, gone to college or the workplace, met friends who have pulled you away from God; the very one who loves you. These well-meaning friends and teachers have introduced ideas and proposed questions, and you have gradually wandered away. Never really seeking answers, just drifting. God sees you and He wants to answer those questions.
What is man’s greatest need?
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been science, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. His son, Jesus.
For me, God sent me a gift, His Son. It was a hard thing to do as an adult, but I stepped out in faith and accepted His free gift, trusted in Jesus and the reason for the cross, turned from doing wrong, waited for the answers and simply followed Him. I still do to this day. The Holy Spirit is in me now and guides my steps. God has blessed my life in more ways than I could convey.
More than 50 years had gone by before I searched for and reluctantly met my father. In the end, I forgave my father and the bitterness inside me dissolved and was replaced by grace and peace. Forgiveness helps you more than the other person. My father passed away shortly after we met but am glad there was closure.
You may not have had a good father in life, but your heavenly Father is very good. Your life will not always be free from pain or suffering, but with God walking beside you, there will be an indescribable peace in any circumstance. God cannot make you love him. Why? Because He has given us free will, a choice. I pray that you hear the voice of God today, step out in faith, and say yes to his free gift.