What a beautiful picture Jesus paints of God as Father. It's not a picture of some feeble old man. It's not a picture of busy father with no time for his kids. It's not a picture of a neglectful, lazy or abusive father. It's not a picture of an authoritarian or dictator. It's not a picture of a distant father with little to no concern for his children.
The picture Jesus paints of the Father is one of compassion, concern, involvement, care, and action. He's approachable. He's loving. He's giving. He's capable. He's listening. He's there. He provides.
Fathering can be tough sometimes. At times yo have to be gentle and understanding. At times yo have to discipline. At times you have to play with your kids, push them on the swing, let them put curlers in your hair or just wrestle on the floor. At times you have to be the dragon slayer, the protector, the defender, the rescuer. At time you have to be a teacher or challenger or coach or reaffirmer. At times you're the provider, while at other times you're the receiver of special gifts.
I've captured the values of my father. My kids are capturing my values. My behavior, my character, my ethics, my heart, my pattern for parenting will be passed onto my children. How they look at life and how they treat their spouses and children and other people will be drawn from me. No pressure, dads. As "head of the household," dads have the responsibility of setting the pace, the standard.
There is no question that God is a God of grace and mercy. The image of Him as Father makes Him embraceable to us. God is interested in our lives and wants us to invite Him in. As we embrace Him, pursue Him, engage Him, we experience His full nature. As His children, we then adopt His values of love, grace, giving, caring, extending ourselves to others.
God, when I grow up, I want to be just like you. The more I pursue you, interact with you, the more I know you, the more I want to be like you. Help me to have your heart, your passion, your attitude toward others.
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