My dad died 12 years ago last week. I was there with my mom when he took his last breath. I loved him, and I know he loved me. He was a provider for our family, the silent type with a dry humor, fantastic memory, and a quick mind. He was handsome and funny. We were not close, and I'm truly sorry I didn't know him better. I know friends did all sorts of things with their dads. The spent time together and were really close. It makes me sad that I didn't have that kind of relationship with my dad. I wished at times that we were closer. I knew him but I didn't really know him.
I love seeing my husband with our kids. The girls climb up on him, even our almost 13 year old still likes to crawl under his arm and cuddle or even sit on his lap sometimes. They call him daddy. They spend time together, they make plans together, they too love each other. They just went to the daddy daughter dance this past weekend. Both girls got dressed up and enjoyed a special dinner and dance with their daddy. He got to dote on them and hold them and make them feel special. I am so thankful that they have a close relationship with him.
This is the most recent picture we have of Sarah and Isaiah. They are standing with Father L. I don't know if they call him Father. Or if they truly understand what the word father means. I know nothing of their biological father, except that he is deceased. I do not know if my children remember him, or even truly knew him. This man is standing in the gap from biological father to forever daddy.
Children need fathers to teach them about life, the world, love. They need fathers to lead them and guide them in making decisions about their lives. The need fathers to make them feel safe and protected. All along I have known that God is using adoption to teach me about Him. The relationship with our earthly fathers is key in helping us to understand the love He has for us. God teaches us about himself through our families. Authority, love, sacrifice...all of these things we learn through family. Our family helps us to understand God in a concrete way. We need our Father in heaven for the same reasons that our children stuck in DRC need their dad. God is our provider, our safety, our guide and teacher, our daddy.
You may know about God, almost everyone does. People are warring over Him right now, as they always have been since the beginning of time. Pretty much the whole world knows about God. But how many know him? What does that even mean? How can you know God?
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26
God, our Father, our Abba daddy loves us. He offers each of us a relationship --a way to know him deeply. We can have the kind of crawl-up-on-his lap-and-be-comforted relationship that my daughters have with their daddy. We can have that with God. Jesus made a way for us. If we accept Jesus as the Son of God, we can, through him be adopted into the family of God. But in order to call him Father, Abba, we must go through Jesus; we have to say yes to His invitation.
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba Father." For His Spirit joins with our Spirit to affirm that we are God's children."
Romans 8: 14-16.
This is the most recent picture we have of Sarah and Isaiah. They are standing with Father L. I don't know if they call him Father. Or if they truly understand what the word father means. I know nothing of their biological father, except that he is deceased. I do not know if my children remember him, or even truly knew him. This man is standing in the gap from biological father to forever daddy.
Children need fathers to teach them about life, the world, love. They need fathers to lead them and guide them in making decisions about their lives. The need fathers to make them feel safe and protected. All along I have known that God is using adoption to teach me about Him. The relationship with our earthly fathers is key in helping us to understand the love He has for us. God teaches us about himself through our families. Authority, love, sacrifice...all of these things we learn through family. Our family helps us to understand God in a concrete way. We need our Father in heaven for the same reasons that our children stuck in DRC need their dad. God is our provider, our safety, our guide and teacher, our daddy.
You may know about God, almost everyone does. People are warring over Him right now, as they always have been since the beginning of time. Pretty much the whole world knows about God. But how many know him? What does that even mean? How can you know God?
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26
God, our Father, our Abba daddy loves us. He offers each of us a relationship --a way to know him deeply. We can have the kind of crawl-up-on-his lap-and-be-comforted relationship that my daughters have with their daddy. We can have that with God. Jesus made a way for us. If we accept Jesus as the Son of God, we can, through him be adopted into the family of God. But in order to call him Father, Abba, we must go through Jesus; we have to say yes to His invitation.
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba Father." For His Spirit joins with our Spirit to affirm that we are God's children."
Romans 8: 14-16.