A FATHER FIGURE
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
One of my earliest memories of my dad, is sitting in a church pew and leaning over and putting my head on his leg and falling asleep... another very early memory was a time when we were walking in the woods one fall day. It was almost sunset and the evening colors in the trees were spectacular. As we walked down a two track road he abruptly stopped and knelt down next to me. He explained that there was a buck and a doe just over the rise where I couldn't see them. Then he lifted me to his shoulders and stood back up so I could see the deer as they walked past.
My dad wasn't a perfect man, I'm not a perfect man or father. Sometimes dad had very little patience for things and he would sometimes get angry quickly. But he loved me and was going to take care of me and the rest of the family at all costs.
Recently I asked a friend what one of his best memories we're of his father. Sadly, he had no good memories... ZERO. That is hard for me to imagine having come from a home where I felt loved by both my parents.
Because fathers aren't perfect we all have places where we fall short. A father's love should be first of all modeled after God Himself.
I want you to consider the negative attributes of a father (notice I didn't say dad). abusive, addictive, angry, absent, belittling, critical, dangerous, demeaning, discouraging, dishonest, foolish, foulmouthed, hateful, incestuous, mean, nasty, perfectionist, perverted, selfish, thoughtless, weak, zany.... This could literally be an A-Z listing of bad actions or personalities of a father.
Now consider positive attributes of a dad... attributes that we all wish our dad were. authentic, brave, compassionate, consistent, devoted, faithful, gracious, honest, incomparable, loving, merciful, peaceful, truthful, and zealous. If we could build the perfect father, this left would round him out pretty well.
Did you know that for the average person, when they hear the word God or Heavenly Father they relate that to the earthly father that they have experienced? For those that have zero to few positive experiences with an earthly father they probably don't want to have a relationship with another father who would be the same type of father to them.
Consider the second list, authentic to zealous. This is what we wish a father would be.... Guess what... this is exactly what our Heavenly Father is. Each of the positive attributes describe who my God is in my life.
If you've lived with little interest in another father in your life and have shunned God because of that... please know that my Heavenly Father is pure love. He cares more for you and me and any earthly father ever could. So when He asks us to come to Him... it's a safe place, a loving place.
1 John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be.
Now if you already have that close relationship with the Lord.... Remember this, your children, your grand children and others are watching you and they expect a Heavenly Father to be similar to what you are. Be the godly father and grandfather that you are called to be.
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