Topic: Who does God say I am?
Personal Piece: Today is Father's Day so I want to take a minute to spotlight the man who has had the role of my father in this life. He has taught me many things throughout my 24 years of life but my favorite thing about him has always been how involved he has been in my life. Whether it be family vacations, nightly dinners, weekly movie nights, playing board games or surprise breakfast dates he always found ways to show each of his children that he loved being our dad. Now that we're all adults he stays involved in our lives through social media and phone calls and gives us advice when we need it. And even though all four of us have separate lives now, we all manage to find a way to come home for the holidays because he instilled within us the importance of being together.
Thought of the Week: My favorite thing about my dad is also my favorite thing about my Abba God. Just as my father has always been heavily involved in my life, God has been a major part of my life. He's always there to spend time with me and give me guidance when I need it. But things haven't always gone well in either of those relationships for me. We always have points in our lives when we struggle with our relationships with our parents. We don't understand why they give us certain instructions. We demand to know why they judge us, why they don't love us? We're too blinded by our own pride to see that discipline leads to strength.
When I was in college I came across the idea of "God-figures" the people in our lives who shape our idea of who God is. These "God-figures" are often authority figures such as parents, teachers or pastors but can sometimes take the forms of siblings or friends. Unfortunately these figures are not always good representations. As finite humans we all make mistakes but sometimes we tend to put certain Christian authorities on pedestals. My father is a pastor. All my life I've seen well-meaning people look to him as some kind of representative of Jesus, expecting more from him than he could give and becoming offended when he couldn't. I heard the high praise they gave him while seeing his fleshly struggles behind the scenes.
Our parents are the number one "God-figures" in our lives and especially our father's but unfortunately in the 21st century that image has become more and more tainted. Often we don't even realize that we are projecting the image of our earthly fathers onto God. If your father is emotionally unavailable you might see God as distant or uncaring of what happens in you. If your parents divorced in your early years, you may see God as unpredictable, who might leave at a moments notice. If your father is angry, you might see God as someone whose love you have to earn and all the bad things in life as his punishments. If you never knew your father, you might see God as someone whose opinion doesn't matter. If your father was lenient, you might see God as a grandfather in the sky who grants your wishes if you have good karma.
All these images are so damaging, not to God, because God can't be threatened by our fickle imaginations and misconceptions. But they're damaging to us who believe them. For many years I saw God's love as something I had to earn, I did everything right, and buried the things that weren't. I became so proficient at hiding even I didn't know what I looked like under the layers of roles I hid behind. I thought if I did everything right, God would be proud and he would reward me. So when bad things came my way, I believed that God was angry at me, I believed he was punishing me for something so I continued to scrape away at my sin, trying to be better and better, looking for a mask that he would be proud of...but all along he just wanted me to take it all off and let it go.
Here's the thing about the way God sees us (a concept I'm still trying to grasp): When God sees you, he doesn't see the person you see when you look in the mirror. He doesn't even look at all the garbage thoughts and sins in your heart. He can see it sure, but if you've invited him to be a part of your life then he chooses to block the darkness in you from his view. Instead when he looks at you, he sees the man or woman he created you to be, he sees the finished product, he sees a child who's still learning to walk and who sometimes falls. When you fall he doesn't get angry, he smiles because you're still learning and you're trying. He reaches down and picks you up and wipes away your tears and then places you back on your feet to try again. You have to stand before you can walk and walk before you can run and run before you can dance and dance before you can fly.
If you were the child of the president of some big business, then you would have the promise of inheriting a portion of that business. If you were the child of a millionaire than you wouldn't have to worry about money. If you were the child of a celebrity you would know that just speaking your father's name will get you into important events. If you were the child of a king you could use daddy's name to get whatever you wanted. God claims us as his children and as his children the roles and identities this world puts on us melt away. It doesn't matter who our earthly father is (good or bad), it doesn't matte if we're rich or if we'll get some great inheritance. This life is just a reflection of our true roles as his children.
We will inherit the earth as God's children. We don't have to worry because we are God's children. Speaking our father's name can move mountains. All we have to do is ask and our father will grant our requests. He is in possession of everything, he is richer and more powerful than any human who might stand in our way. When we begin to fully grasp what it means to be his child. When we fully remove the masks that we put on and look at our true selves then everything changes. We have to take our eyes off of the darkness that Satan tells us is truth and off of the tainted image we believe is who we are. Instead we need to point our eyes toward God and his truth. He says we're already complete, he says we already have our inheritance, he says we need only ask, he says everything in this world is fickle compared to what he has in store, he says not to worry because he's in control. It's hard to grasp, but I choose to believe it. I choose to believe that I am complete even when I feel broken. Will you choose the same?
Digging Deeper: The last two entries were inspired by Ted Dekker's "The Forgotten Way" Study. To go on the adventure yourself you can check it out here.
For more about "God-figures" check out "God Unwrapped" by Michelle Hollomon
To read what God says about being his children check out Galatians 3:23-4:7 also check out Hebrews Chapter 1 for more about our inheritance in Christ.
Extra Thoughts: 1) Like the father in the Prodigal Son, God gives us our inheritance now (time and talents) and it is our responsibility to determine how we spend it. 2) A popular story dynamic is children being held for ransom because of the importance of their parents. As God's children we should not see ourselves as the exception. 2nd Timothy 3:12 tells us that there are no exceptions. If we are God's children we WILL experience persecution.
Challenge: As you reflect on the father figures in your life this Father's Day take some time to think about your father in heaven. Take some time to read the passages listed above and reflect on Matthew 23:9 and Luke 14:26. How do these verses make you feel? Take some time to write and pray your thoughts as you reflect on God as a father and what that means for you as his child.
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