Father

  Father-One afternoon, I was lying in bed, listening to music and not
thinking about anything in particular. One song started playing about our
Heavenly Father. It struck me just how much God is like a human father. A
good one, of course. There are plenty of human fathers out there that could
not be classified as "good".

Both good human fathers and God love their children unconditionally. They
don't just love their kids when they are doing everything right. In other
words, the love that God and good human fathers have for their children
doesn't depend on performances. Thankfully! Knowing that God loves me just
as much on bad days as good ones is such a comfort to me. I have days I
don't much like myself but what helps me get through the bad times is
knowing that God's love doesn't change everytime that my emotions do.

Good human fathers like to spend with time with their children. So does God.
I imagine good human fathers like to listen their children tell them things.
Not always asking for something. And I am sure that God is the same. He
loves it when His children come to Him in prayer. He is a giver so, just
like a good human father, He likes to give gifts to His children but, I am
sure, it means a lot to Him when His children come to Him in prayer simply
because they want to talk to Him. Obviously, I have never been a father but
I can imagine how endearing is when little ones run to him and tell their
daddy that they love him. Must melt his heart. Bet God's great heart melts
the same way when His children run to Him with love on their lips.

A good human father is there when his child needs comfort for whatever
reason. I always think it is precious to see small children run to their
daddy's arms for comforting when they hurt themselves or whatever else is
upsetting them. In the same way, our Heavenly Father wants His children,
born-again Christians, to run to Him when they are hurting. This is one
quality of God that I really value. When I am upset, so often I feel His
presence strongly like He is there in Person to comfort me.

A good human father will provide things like food, shelter and clothing for
his children. Little children don't think about such things because their
fathers has provided it all. In the same way, God provides for His children.
The difference, though, between adults and little children is that, too
often, we don't have the implicit trust and fret, worry and try to provide
for themselves. But, in addition to providing for his children, a good human
father will often give them gifts just because he loves his children and
wants to make them happy. God is the same way. He loves His children very
much and, as long it is for their good, loves to give them gifts.

A good human father does everything he can to make sure that his children
are kept safe. Things like car seats, helmets, etc. God keeps His children
safe, too. I have heard, many times, of Christians that have had accidents
averted by God. Or, sometimes. He will have Christians in certain situations
to protect them from a potentially more harmful situation.

However, a good human father will also discipline his children for their own
good. Nobody wants to be around children who are allowed to do whatever they
want, when they want. Likewise, God disciplines His children when he deems
that they need it in order to become what He wants them to become. I confess
that I have been on the receiving end of a "spiritual spanking", though,
because of His great mercy, probably not as often as I deserved.

Of course, in many ways, God is far above a human father but there are
enough similarities to help understand God a bit better.