The Loving Father

“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

Years ago I started working with the idea that there is a big difference between “judgement” and “observation.” I was very familiar with judgement. I had learned it well and it was very easy for me to judge myself and others. I also never found it very helpful. Then I came across the idea of observation. Simply observing others and myself, I found at the core of observation was a desire to better understand myself and others. This has helped why I do or sometimes don’t do the things I do, and it has helped me as a counselor. I don’t sit in judgement of anyone these days. I listen, I observe and try to understand.

One of the things I have observed in others for years is that if something bad happens, God is questioned and certainly God being a caring and loving God is questioned. The idea is that if God loved us and cared about the world bad things would not happened to good people. You don’t have to look around much at what is going on in the world and in many of your own lives to quickly question if there is a God at all and if so, does he really give a flip or care about His creation. Maybe God’s love and the brokenness in the world are two very different happenings and maybe they are also very connected.

I grew up without a father. My dad died when I was two and a half years old. I have no memory of my dad. One of my earliest memories was sitting in my bed in our little home in Rogersville MO. I would have been six or seven years old. I would sit in my bed at night, sometimes very sad talking to God about not having a father. I would ask him question about my dad, why he died, thinking maybe he was still alive and looking for me. Never did it cross my mind that God was a meanie and didn’t care about me. It never crossed my mind that God didn’t care about my father or me. I began to learn that bad things happen to good people every day and the world we lived in was broken, that I too was broken. I didn't believe God was doing this to me, I believed I needed to know God to get through all the brokenness in my life and the world.

For years I struggled with not having a father. At some point in this process I began to seek God as a Father. It’s kind of odd how a loss can slowly turn into a great blessing. Over the years God has become my father. I believe he knows me, loves me and wants me to fully experience life. To fully experience this life I have to see and be aware of the good and the bad. There is no where in scripture that suggests that if God is real and loves you, your life will be void of challenges, hurts and hardship. That is not a biblical idea. What is a biblical idea is that in the midst of our brokenness and a broken world we can experience, joy, peace and love. I need more of that.

I need to experience the love of God for many reasons. For years I have sat with broken people who have been through some horrific things. Their trauma and hurt is real. I can’t fix any of that, but when I am living in God’s love I can hold space with broken people. No judgement, I can’t fix it, but I can let them know they are seen, heard and that their lives matter. Think about this; “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete.” 1 John 4:12 Do you realize when you and I experience the love of God we can genuinely share and extend that to others?

I had 5 hours of testing today. This brain tumor is slowly affecting some of the ways my brain works. That is very scary, but what my brain knows is there is a God who is my Father. He loves me and will be with me through this entire process- whatever happens. I want to share His love with you and others. What I don’t like so much is I also need to experience His love from others. No judgement but my observation makes me feel a little needy. I don’t like that, but it is true. I am writing this today because it reminds me that I am loved by God. I have been Fathered by God, and He is a good Father. I want you to know you are loved and of great value. I want to encourage you to believe that even if your life experience has not always supported that truth.

You matter and your life matters. Let us each try and find someone this week that we can be an extension of God’s love, we can listen, hug, support, can’t fix, but we can love. God has lavished His love on me, and I desperately want you to experience that love as well.

Peace,