Happy Father’s Day!
Everyone I know has a complicated relationship with their fathers. Even those with the best of fathers still experience disappointments and disillusionment with them, and I have a guess for why that is.
The Bible tells us we were created to find our identity, meaning, purpose, value, and joy in relationship with our Heavenly Father. But when we woke up in the universe, we didn’t know God, and so many of us expected those deep spiritual needs to be met by our earthly fathers. Some of our fathers were decent and healthy, and others were toxic and devastating. In the latter case, the disappointment and disillusionment is almost automatic. But even the best of earthly fathers could never possibly give our souls what only our Heavenly Father can provide. Without ever intending to, some of us set up our fathers and ourselves for disappointment and disillusionment. We were looking in the wrong place all along.
Through Jesus, we now have a real relationship with our Heavenly Father. In Him we know who we are. We know what life is about. We know why we’re here, we know that we matter, and we know the joy of loving Him and being loved in return. By the Spirit we cry out Abba Father, for we are true children of God (Rom. 8:15–16). He disciplines us as sons, that we might share in his goodness, holiness, peace, and righteousness (Heb. 12:5–11). We have a Father who meets our spiritual needs in a way that our fathers never could.
So today we honor our fathers, who at their very best moments were pale imitations of our Heavenly Father, and who in their worst moments prepared us for the true and better Father whose love will never ever let us down.
Because of Jesus we have a Father. And we are loved, more than we know!
Pastor Philip
