For
I am
the perfect father.
Matthew
5:48
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(NIV Bible)
I
can remember that when my children were very small, they
would boast that I was the strongest dad in the world.
They were convinced of it. They were also confident that
I was the smartest dad and the best-looking dad, etc.
But as my children began to grow, they were confronted
with the harsh reality that I was not the super hero that
they once thought I was.
I
wasn't the strongest, or the smartest, or the best looking
dad in the world. I was simply their dad. While my children
have loved me despite all my flaws and imperfections,
I am sure that I have not lived up to their childhood
expectations to father them perfectly.
We
have all come into this world with an expectation to be
loved unconditionally. It is only as we begin to grow
up, that we realize that we might not be loved and cared
for as we had hoped. When the realization of our parents
humanity hits us, a sense of disappointment and a feeling
of disillusionment can follow. After all, we were created
to be loved perfectly. However, if we put ourselves in
our parents' shoes, we will understand that they carried
the same childhood expectations to be loved as we have
had. And just like us, they were disappointed by their
parents and could only pass on the love and acceptance
that they first received.
This
disappointment can be a stumbling block to us knowing
God as Father for it is a common tendency to relate to
God as we relate to our earthly father. But God is not
like our earthly fathers, for Matthew 5:48 says that He
is the Perfect Father and He loves us perfectly.
If
we are willing to let go of the hurt and disappointment
that we have experienced with our own parents, it will
bring a new freedom to receive the love that we have always
hoped for from the Perfect Father. If we can forgive our
parents for the pain they have caused us, and look to
God to meet our loves needs, we will open the door for
God to be the Father that we have always needed. He will
not let you down, He will not disappoint you, for He is
perfect in every way and He wants to father you perfectly.
PRAYER
Father, I confess that I have had wrong ideas about You.
You are not like my earthly parents, for you are the Perfect
Father. Today I choose to forgive my parents for not meeting
all my love needs, because they could only give me what
they received from their parents. I am thankful that You
love me perfectly and desire to meet all my love needs.
Please come and be to me, the Father that I have always
needed. In the name of Your beloved Son Jesus, I pray,
AMEN.
